Sweet Perfection
by taylorrae81
Summary: Bella and Emmett have been around each other since they were kids because he's best friends with her older brother Edward, but when they actually get to know each other, what will become of it? M for language, possible lemons, and who knows. AH/AU. Please read and review! Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**Sweet Perfection**

Bella and Emmett have been around each other since they were kids, but now that they're actually getting to know each other, what will become of it? AU/AH.

**Chapter One**

"I'm done with all this fighting! I can't take it anymore! I'm done!" I heard Emmett yelling, and I looked up to see him walking away from the diner.

"Fine! If that's the way you wanna be, I don't care! Your loss!" Rosalie screamed back and got into her car, tires screeching as she sped her red BMW out of the lot. Emmett ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair and kicked a trash can before walking down the sidewalk.

"Hey, get in!" I called out of my truck's passenger side window, and a flicker of a smile crossed his lips before he hopped in.

"You're a lifesaver, Bells." He fastened his seatbelt and leaned his head back.

"So what was that all about?" Curiosity flooded into my words, and I felt a pang of ignorance as I realized it was none of my business.

"Just bullshit. Nothing you need to worry about."

I rolled my eyes at that. Emmett and my brother Edward were both only a year older than me, but they treated me like I was five. It was annoying because I probably understood their problems even better than they did. Hell, I could probably solve most of them.

"Oh, we can just head to your place. I was supposed to meet up with Edward anyway," he said when we headed into our neighborhood.

I pulled into the driveway next to Edward's newly purchased, dark blue, 2008 Corvette (he's been raving nonstop since he got it last week), and we got out. Emmett jogged over to Edward and a few other guys who were playing basketball on our concrete court, after thanking me of course, and I waved my hello before going upstairs to my room to do homework.

* * *

For the next couple of weeks, Emmett and Jasper (another one of their best friends who was my age) were always at my house. I didn't really know why, but I think it was to get over their girls with "bro time."

"Hey, Bella, what's up?" Emmett said, and I turned around from the cabinet with a glass in my hand. He was sweaty and almost out of breath as he swiped a hand towel across his forehead.

"Just getting some water. Want some?"

"Sure, thanks."

"Must be a rough game of basketball going on out there," I stated with a smile as I handed him a glass of ice water.

He gulped half of it down before replying, "You have no idea."

"Are you staying for dinner tonight?" I leaned against the counter with one hand, swirling some lemonade mix into my water.

"I don't know. Do you want me to?" he smirked, and I laughed.

"I'm asking because Charlie's working late, and I'm cooking, so I need to know how many mouths to feed."

"Nah, I actually have to go do some things, but Jasper might be. Want me to ask?"

"That'd be great." He stood up, downed the rest of his water, and headed out the back glass doors. "Thanks!"

_He actually looked kinda hot like that… _I thought to myself. I stood there for a second before taking a sip of my lemonade and setting out the preparations for dinner.

Jasper did decide to stay for dinner, but we didn't speak much until Edward excused himself to go take a quick shower.

"So what's Alice's deal?" he blurted out while we were watching some comedy show.

"Her deal?"

"Ya know, is she single, or in a relationship, or what?"

"She's not dating anyone, but she's definitely off limits to you."

He cracked a smile and asked, "Yeah? Why's that?"

"I know how you treat girls, Whitlock." He gave me a dumbfounded look. "Like you can use them and leave them as you please."

"That's not true. I date."

"Whatever you say." I turned my attention back to the television screen, ready to be done with this conversation.

"Hey, at least I'm not stuck in some dead-end high school relationship like Emmett."

My mind snapped back to Jasper almost immediately. "I thought they broke up?"

"Well, they did, but this is – what? – the third time this year? They'll be back together sooner or later. We both know that."

"Yeah, maybe."

My mind drifted off into thought, but soon enough, Jasper and I were laughing together as if the conversation never happened.

* * *

"Thank God it's Friday!" Alice yelled as we walked out of our school and headed to her car. "I absolutely can't wait for tonight!"

"I absolutely can't believe you're actually making me go to a _party_."

"Who knows. Maybe you'll have fun for once!"

"I have fun all the time."

"Fun with boys, I mean." She winked and laughed, and we went to her house to begin her party night pampering routine, starting off with showers and face masks. Oh, the joy.

A couple of hours of bathing, facials, deep conditioning hair treatments, eyebrow plucking, and much more later, I was a changed woman. No, literally. I looked completely different, in a good way I suppose.

"You look beautiful!" Alice exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I can't wait to see what you'll look like with your hair and makeup done!"

"Oh my gosh, Alice," I said, blushing. "Thanks."

"My pleasure! Let's go grab some food before we finish."

We went into her massive kitchen, where her mom had just finished preparing salads and fruit cups for us (they were pretty big health nuts). Part of me wanted to laugh at this for being my dinner, but after eating it all, it was pretty fulfilling. After that, we just watched TV and hung out for a while, even chatting a little bit about what Jasper said the other day to me, to which Alice pushed me over, gasped, and playfully chastised me for saying that to a "cute now-potential boyfriend." She finally dragged me back upstairs, where she curled my hair and did my makeup, then she proceeded to do hers after telling me not to look yet. She went into her closet when she was finished, and for the next ten minutes, I wondered if she had some secret passageway in there or had just gotten lost in her own rows of clothes, but she finally emerged wearing a long sleeve, black dress with a colorful belt and closed toe, red wedges.

"You look amazing," I told her, while inwardly groaning at what she could've picked out for me.

"Thanks, girl! Wait until you see what you're wearing."

I saw that mischievous twinkle in her eye, the one she always got when she knew she was doing something you probably wouldn't like, but I ignored it and held out my hands. She gave me a pair of dark wash skinny jeans (some she'd taken from my house without me knowing, I guess), a sparkly silver tank, and a cropped, black leather jacket. I actually kind of liked it. She ordered me to put them on, then handed me a pair of black boots with short, thick heels, which made me so happy because I definitely sucked at walking in stilettos.

"Oh my gosh, you look so hot!" she yelled before pushing me in front of a floor length mirror.

I even gasped when I saw myself. There was no way I could be the same person. I looked taller, leaner, and more fashionable, and the smokey eyes and light pink lip gloss really pulled everything together. My favorite part was the fact she didn't make me wear a dress, though.

Soon enough, it was 10 o' clock and party time. She drove us a couple of neighborhoods over to Mike Newton's house. He wasn't a big party guy, but since his parents were out of town for the weekend, he knew this was his chance to get in with the seniors so he could hang out with them all year. As soon as we walked in, a few drunk guys whistled at us, and I felt almost embarrassed to be drawing so much attention to myself.

"Hey, gorgeous ladies," a pretty tipsy Mike greeted before handing us each a cold, unopened beer. I popped the top off and took a swig. I didn't drink a lot, but I wasn't new to it, and neither was Alice, who'd downed a third of her bottle before I'd even taken a second sip. Impressive.

When Alice saw some guy from her algebra class, she said she'd just be a minute, which in Alice time was at least fifteen, so I walked over to my brother and his friends after spotting them in the living room.

"Hey, Edward."

"Damn, what is your name?" some guy I recognized off the football team asked me.

"Bella, my lttle sister," Edward said protectively.

"I didn't even recognize you. You did some growing up," the same guy said, smiling.

Edward rolled his eyes and murmured under his breath, "Don't drink too , much, okay?"

"No promises," I joked, then turned away and headed towards the other side of the house, all the while feeling his friends' eyes on me, the grown up version of their friend's little sis.

Over an hour and a half passed by, and I was pretty tipsy, so I finished my last beer and set it down before heading outside. I looked up to the sky, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Fresh air's pretty relaxing, huh?" My eyes snapped open at the sound of Emmett's voice, and I smiled at him. "You look beautiful tonight, by the way."

"Thanks, Em." I felt the blush growing on my cheeks, giddiness swelling up inside me, but I just brushed it off because I knew he was at least pretty buzzed.

"No prob. Enjoying the party?"

I shrugged. "Not really my scene, but it's been fun."

"Wanna head out?"

"Um, what?"

He chuckled. "Wanna go grab some late night food at the diner?"

I could feel the grin spread across my face as I replied, "Yes, I'm dying for a burger."

**A/N: So how did everyone like it? Leave me reviews, please! Already working on chapter two. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sweet Perfection**

**A/N: Thanks for those who reviewed and for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter Two**

"Two burger plates with coke to drink, please," Emmett ordered not five minutes after we sat down. "So if parties aren't your scene, why were you at Mike's house tonight?"

"You're pretty straightforward, aren't you?"

"No, I'm pretty buzzed. Very slight difference."

We laughed, and I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear before saying, "My best friend dragged me to it. It's completely _her _scene."

"Alice Cullen, right?"

"That would be her." He seemed to know everyone, but I guess most people do in such a small town.

"Yeah, Jasper has his eye set on her."

"Oh, no."

"Exactly what I said." We shared another laugh, then our waitress set our food and beverages down. "Thank you, ma'am." And he has manners… Nice.

I took a sip of my coke, welcoming the sugary carbonation after a long night of only tasting bud light run down my throat. Right after that, I took a big bite of my delicious burger, sighing in satisfaction.

"You must've been hungry," Emmett smirked, and I felt the heat rush to my cheeks. "Hey, I admire a girl who can eat."

"Yeah, Alice's family is super healthy, so I only got a salad and a fruit cup for dinner at like five thirty."

"How do people survive off that?"

"That's what I'm saying!"

We chatted about anything and everything until we finished our food, and then even more after that. There was one question that was at the forefront of my mind the entire night, though, the question of Rosalie. I didn't know why, but I just knew I had to ask.

"So what was up with you and Rosalie the other day?"

He sighed. "She was just being… Rosalie."

"What does that even mean?"

"Nothing. Let's not talk about it."

"Sure."

He smiled at me, and our conversation continued as if I'd never asked. I eventually just forgot about it. We talked about our favorite bands, and movies, and books, and foods, and I learned more about him that night that I ever thought I would.

"It's almost three. We better get you back to Alice's."

"You're probably right."

He paid for my food (how gentlemanly), and we headed out to his white Hummer. I hopped into the seat, and he buckled me in, letting his hand linger on the clasp a few seconds too long, which of course caused my thoughts to stir. He got in on the other side and began the drive to the Cullen household, and it was silent until we got to her street.

"I'm really glad we did this, Bella." He looked over at me with a smile, and I could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Me, too. Let's do this again soon."

He pulled in front of her house and grabbed my hand. "Sure. You really do look beautiful tonight."

I could feel my cheeks turn a crimson red as I racked my mind on what to say next. "Thanks, Em. I better go."

"Yeah, you better."

For a moment, we just looked into each other's eyes, but I finally snapped out of it, pulled my hand away, and said bye as I got out of his car and walked up to Alice's house, thankful to see her car there. I wasn't so thankful when I saw her waiting on the front porch, though.

"Where were you?! I looked all over Newton's house for you. I left you a million messages."

"My phone died when I was at the diner."

"Did you go with Emmett McCarty? Was that who dropped you off?"

"Um, yeah…"

Instead of being mad, she squealed. "Tell me everything!"

So we went upstairs to her room, and I did.

Alice was probably even more excited than I was that I got to hang out with Emmett, a hot, senior guy that all the girls wanted.

"It's really no big deal. We're just friends. We always have been."

"Friends don't eat dinner with friends in the middle of the night just randomly, Bells."

"Yes, they do. We just did."

"If that's what you want to believe… Now ask me what I did tonight." I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to, nervous of what she might say, but I did anyway. "I walked right up to Jasper Whitlock and told him if he wanted to ask me out on a date, to just do it and stop being a pussy about it."

"Oh my god! You didn't!"

"I totally did."

"And…?" She always made me wait to hear what would happen next; she was dramatic like that.

"And he asked me out on a date in front of everyone. It was amazing."

Her eyes were gleaming with excitement, and she couldn't stop smiling, probably because she was getting to go on a date with of the most popular guys in school. I'd be pretty happy, too, if I ever had the guts to do something like that, which I didn't. At all. She suggested we get some sleep, and I immediately agreed, exhausted from tonight's shenanigans. I fell asleep quickly and soundly, not waking up until one the next afternoon.

* * *

I didn't see or talk to Emmett the rest of the weekend, which was fine. I mean, we were just friends, right? So it shouldn't matter. I kept having to remind myself of that, and I didn't get why. Yeah, he was hot and super nice, but that doesn't mean that I just automatically like him like every other hormone-driven, bottle blonde in the school (ahem, Rosalie and the like). I filled the rest of my weekend with catching up on homework, cooking, and hanging out with Edward. Mostly everyone was keeping it low key since the party.

"Did you have fun Friday?" he asked me Sunday night, while we were playing pool in our game room.

"It was fun, I guess."

"I saw you leaving early with Emmett. What was that about?"

When he said Emmett's name, I blushed and missed my shot. "Nothing. We just went to grab some food."

"That's weird," he said with a confused look on his face as he sunk the number three ball into the side pocket, then missed when he aimed for the four.

"Why? We're friends."

"Since when?"

"Since we were kids?"

"But you guys never hang out." The way he said it was arrogant, like he knew exactly what he was talking about. Whatever.

"Doesn't mean we can't start." I shot the number eleven ball and made it into a corner.

He lined up a shot for the four again – "I think he's still seeing Rosalie." – and missed.

Annoyance welled up inside me, and I sunk the eight ball into another corner. "I win." I set the pool stick back on the rack and went to my room.

Even if Emmett was seeing Rose again, it shouldn't bother me. It was none of my business who he did and did not date. It wasn't like I was crushing on him, with his muscular arms and messy blonde hair and… I stopped that train of thought and changed for bed, thinking of anything I could to keep my mind off of Emmett as I felt asleep.

* * *

The next day, Edward drove us to school because my truck wouldn't start for some reason, and when we pulled into the parking lot, I could see some of the girls staring and whispering about him.

I rolled my eyes and, with a laugh, asked, "So what's it like being popular?"

"Get out more, and you'll know," he joked, but I knew he was probably right.

I needed to break out of my comfort zone and try new things. Maybe I should start dressing nicer and actually make an effort to talk to people. I mean, it shouldn't be that hard, right?

"Bella!" Alice called from a few rows of cars over, and I headed to her car where she was talking to Jasper, Emmett, and a couple of other people.

"Hey," I said to everyone, and a chorus of "hi's" and "hello's" rang back. "Ready for class?" I asked her, and she nodded, dreamily saying bye to Jasper as we walked away.

"He's just sooo cute," she gushed, clutching her books to her chest.

"When's the date?"

"Saturday. I can't wait!" She almost squealed as she said it, and she began talking about what she should wear, and say, and so on. I did my best to keep up until the bell called for class to begin.

The rest of the day went by just like any other, except Emmett wouldn't say much to me besides a "hey" if he saw me in the halls. Weird. I tried not to pay much mind to it, but it was hard. It's not like I wanted to dwell on it; I just did. By the end of the school day, I was just ready to get home.

* * *

The rest of the week went by just like that. Alice would gush about something Jasper said or did, Emmett would basically ignore me, and I'd think about it all way too much. It was so frustrating to not talk to him after I learned so much about him – his likes, dislikes, how he wanted his burger (which was medium well with everything but onion and tomato on it). By the time Friday afternoon came around, I was just happy that the week was over.

"Bella!" Emmett called to me, and I turned to see him jogging to catch up to me. "There's a party tomorrow night at my place if you wanna come." My mind was thrown for a loop. First, he ignores me, then he invites me to his party. What kind of game was that?

"Seriously?"

"What?" His brow furrowed, confused at my comment.

"Nothing. I'll think about it," I told him then walked off to Edward's car and got in, watching as he headed over to his football team and started joking with them.

"What was that all about?" Edward asked before pulling out of the parking lot.

"Some party tomorrow." I propped my elbow on the edge of the window and leaned my head against my hand.

"Oh, yeah. You should go. You can come with me and the gang since Alice has that date."

"Maybe."

We dropped it, and I headed upstairs to my room and grabbed a book when we got home. I tried my hardest to read it, but I couldn't wrap my head around a single word, too annoyed with whatever Emmett was doing to me. Honestly, I was a smart girl, but boys were a totally foreign subject to me. Sure, I'd been on dates – I even had a boyfriend a year back – but it didn't mean I understood a single thing that went on in any guy's head. I threw my book down in frustration, changed into some sweats and t-shirt, and went for a run to clear my head.

I made my way around the neighborhood, so of course I ended up passing the McCarty house. I hadn't even considered that it was on my usual route. What I didn't know is that I'd see Emmett and Rosalie arguing on the front porch. I couldn't hear them, even though I wished I could, and after deciding it was none of my business, I just kept running. No matter how hard I tried, my mind forced me to make up random scenarios in my head over what they were fighting about. Despite the distraction, I continued my run around the block and headed home. What an accomplishment that was…

Saturday morning, I woke up around ten and saw my dad's note that he'd left to go fishing with Billy and Harry, so I made breakfast for my brother and myself – nothing extravagant, just bacon, toast, and eggs. When I was finishing up, Edward walked into the kitchen in a t-shirt and shorts, sweat dripping from his hair.

"Where were you? I figured you'd be asleep," I said to him as I made his plate.

"Early game of hoops with the guys." I handed the plate to him. "For me? Thanks."

He took a bite, and I let that sink in. "Are they still here?" Part of me hoped Emmett was.

"Nah, Jasper and Jason headed home, and Emmett went to go talk to-"

Just then, Emmett opened the door and said, "Sorry. I left my bag." He grabbed it off the couch and looked at me. "I'll see you guys tonight, right?"

I looked down at my plate, and Edward answered for us both, "Yeah, we'll be there."

My head snapped up at my brother's remark, and I had no choice but to agree. "Yep."

"Awesome. Bye, guys." And he left smiling as soon as he came.

"Someone has a crush," Edward murmured with a smirk.

"I do not!" I yelled defensively.

"Did I say you?"

He put his plate in the sink, and I smiled. It was time to go find an outfit for this party.

**A/N: Don't forget to review! Thanks! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sweet Perfection**

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three**

After I finished eating, I ran upstairs and took a quick shower before throwing on some norts, a long sleeve tee, and some sneakers, then I headed straight for the Port Angeles mall. I never shopped, but I knew all the stores where Alice went, so I headed straight for those. It took me a couple of hours to find the perfect outfit to get Emmett's attention, shoes and all, and when I was done, I went home and set it all out on my bed. To kill time, I hopped in the shower again, taking the time to shave and deep condition my hair, and I felt like a princess when I got out. I glanced at the clock, and it read 3:24. _Ugh, still so much time to kill_. I snuggled into my robe after pulling on a camisole and shorts and pulled out a book to read.

"Hey, Bells," my brother said a little while later, leaning his arms against each side of my doorway. "What's up?"

"Just reading. Whatcha need?"

"Just wondering if you're still going to Emmett's tonight."

"Yep."

"Good," he smiled and went on his way. God, my brother was so weird sometimes.

As time ticked on, I read my book, and when I glanced back at the clock, it read 6:45. _Dang, where'd the time go_? I headed downstairs to make a quick dinner – just some boxed pasta – and I called Edward down. We sat and talked while we ate, and when I was done, I excused myself to my room. Time to get ready.

I took a curling iron to my hair, creating loose, messy waves, then I did a light smokey eye for my makeup. Walking over to my bed, I pulled on the white hi-low tank top with a large black hem at the bottom and the hot pink mini skirt. I slid into the five inch, teal heels with a black closed toe and instantly felt sexy. I sat down on my bed and rifled through the bags to find the dangling teal earrings, which I then put through my ears. I swiped some hot pink lip gloss on and put my makeup, keys, and wallet into the large, teal clutch I'd just bought. I was definitely ready to party. I walked down the hall to Edward's room with confidence and ease – these heels were actually super comfortable – and poked my head in.

"Hey, you ready?" I asked.

"Yeah, one second." He turned around, and his mouth dropped. "I guess you're taking my advice about putting yourself out there."

"Possibly. How do I look?" I turned in a circle, and he gave me a thumbs up.

"Guys are gonna be all over you. I hope you know that."

"I'm actually counting on it," I stated, only thinking of one guy in particular.

He laughed and said, "Well, let's go."

We pulled onto Emmett's street, and rows of cars lined each side. We saw an open parking space surprisingly close and took it, and moments later, we were walking into his big house. I heard guys whistle as I walked in, and this time I didn't feel embarrassed; I felt hot.

"I'm going to get a drink," I told Edward and headed for the kitchen. I knew this house pretty well, so I led myself there.

I was shocked to only see a couple of people in there, and after grabbing a glass and filling it with vodka and orange soda, I headed back to the living room, realizing where the fun was. Emmett had transformed the downstairs game room into a giant dance floor, and it was packed. The lights were off, and strobe lights were flashing to the beat of the loud music.

"Hey, Bella," I heard from behind me, and I turned to see Jessica Stanley, a senior who hung out with my brother's group of friends. "I absolutely _love_ your outfit!"

"Thanks! I love yours, too!" I was so shocked to get a compliment from her because she was usually pretty snobby, but she seemed nice tonight.

We chatted for a bit while we chugged our drinks, and out of nowhere, she yelled, "Let's go dance!"

Before I could say anything, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to the dance floor, where we began moving to the music. It was actually fun, and I wondered for a moment why I never got more into this. I felt a pair of hands grab my waist from behind, and the guy put his body against mine.

"I'm really glad you came, Bells," Emmett whispered in my ear, and I grinded against him for the next song.

After it ended, I turned around and put my lips up to his ear. "Me, too."

We danced together for the next couple of songs, before he pulled my hand in the direction of the living room. I followed him all the way into the kitchen, where I poured myself another drink and smiled at him as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.

"Where's Rosalie?"

"She's not coming, and honestly, I don't give a fuck." I could tell he was drunk by his voice, but I didn't say anything. "Are you having fun?"

"Tons."

"I thought parties weren't your scene, Swan."

"Maybe I didn't come for the party, McCarty," I retorted, and he smiled, inching closer to me. I definitely felt more confident the way I was dressed, and the vodka probably gave me a little liquid courage as well.

"Hey, Emmett," some guy said, and when I turned my head, I saw Jason, some guy off the football team. "Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."

"You didn't," he said, and a pang of hurt hit me, then confusion as to why. I brushed it off. "What's up?"

"Some girl is hurling all over your dad's bedroom floor. Just thought I'd let you know."

"Shit!" he yelled before running out with Jason following.

I just stood there for a minute like a stranded puppy until I felt someone watching me. I looked up and locked eyes with Jessica, who walked over and leaned against the counter.

"It's not gonna be that easy to get Emmett wrapped around your finger, especially while he's still trying to talk things through with Rose. I mean, I personally think he needs to be done with that relationship, but for now, I'd keep away."

Then she walked off, her stilettos tapping against the tile on her way out of the kitchen. Why wouldn't anyone believe that Emmett and I are just friends? Edward was obviously wrong about the crush thing, which I should've known, but no harm, no foul. I downed my drink and grabbed a beer from the fridge, heading back to the dance floor. I danced with a couple of guys from the football team until I was finally just done. I wandered around the house, stumbling every few steps due to the vodka and beer I'd been consuming, until I somehow found myself in Emmett's room. It was pretty clean except for the football gear lying around, and when I noticed the top of his dresser was covered in pictures, I made a beeline for it. There were photos of his mom and dad, some of his team, one of him, Jasper, and Edward, quite a few of him and Rosalie (some that had to date back to his freshman year, whoa), and one of all the neighborhood kids from way back when – him, Edward, Jasper, and me. Talk about a flashback.

"What're you doing up here?"

I turned around to see Emmett. "I don't really know." I turned back to the pictures. "I haven't seen this picture in a long time," I said, pointing to the one with me in it.

"I forget it's there sometimes," he admitted, walking over. "I still remember the day it was taken."

"Yeah, Jasper's birthday party."

"And you fell into his cake."

"You pushed me!" I yelled, laughing with him. "He was so upset."

"I think he cried."

"Oh my gosh. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. Too long. We had so much fun back then."

I looked up at him, and it felt like his blue eyes were staring straight through me. For some reason, I just wanted him to kiss me, for him to grab my hand and pull me down onto his bed, but I knew he didn't feel that way about me. I mean, he had Rose still, right? It didn't matter at that point. I had to go. I broke the gaze and began to walk out.

"I'll see you around, Emmett."

I left, taking my dignity with me.

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter! Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sweet Perfection**

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Four**

Even though the party was a complete bust, I still had a good time, and I loved the way I felt dressed like that. It definitely gave me the confidence I needed to break out of my shell, so I headed back to the PA mall the next day with Alice.

"I'm so excited you're finally becoming a woman!" she screamed when she picked me up.

I laughed at her, and we ended up jamming out the entire ride there. Once we were inside and shopping, I bombarded her with questions about her date.

"Oh, Bella, it was so perfect. He took me to this Italian restaurant, and we talked about everything. Did you know he has an older sister?" I gave her a surprised look. "Yeah, she's, like, married, and has a kid, and everything. She lives in California. Anyway, he's super sweet and such a gentleman. His reputation totally does not match his personality."

"Maybe he's just really into you and doesn't want to mess that up."

"That could be it, but it doesn't matter. I had the most amazing time. He even walked me to my door and kissed me goodnight on the forehead. So cute."

To say I wasn't jealous would be a lie, but I was super happy for her. She completely deserved it after all the douchebags she'd dated. I listened to her ramble on about it a little while longer, and it definitely kept my mind off of last night, until she changed the subject.

"So I heard you went to Emmett's party last night."

"From who?" She gave me a look. "Jasper?" She nodded. Edward must've told him. "Well, yeah, it was super fun."

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" We shared a laugh. "Take any pictures?"

"Yeah, there's a few on my phone."

She held out her hand, and I gave it to her. She took a few minutes to look through all the drunken pictures I'd taken with Jessica and random people.

"You looked hot!"

"Thanks, I tried," I admitted, and she handed my iPhone back.

"For Emmett?"

"For myself." Which was true in a way. "Edward kinda made me realize that I need to get out of my comfort zone so that I can grow into who I'm supposed to be."

"Whoa, that's deep," she said, continuing with, "As long as that means new clothes, I'm all for it."

We laughed and spent the rest of the day shopping.

* * *

The next two weeks, I spent my free time at school talking to more people than just Alice, and Edward's group even offered us seats at their lunch table the second Friday. Not thinking about it, I accepted and headed there after third period with Alice by my side. I grabbed my food and went to sit down, only to be stopped in my tracks at the sight before me. Emmett and Rosalie. Holding hands. At the table. I guess avoiding Emmett came along with not knowing much about his life. I blinked my eyes a few times as if trying to get rid of the image but sat down next to my brother anyway.

"Hey, Bella," Jessica said from the spot next to Rosalie, who just rolled her eyes and began talking to Emmett and Lauren.

"Hey," I said back with a smile. I was not going to let anyone or anything get me down.

Alice and Jasper started talking after he kissed her on the cheek (how sweet), and I just engaged in Edward, Jessica, and Jason's conversation about Emmett's party and how he needed to throw another one this weekend. I could tell Rose was annoyed by it because she wasn't there – she was _always _at a good party – and she got up, announcing to the table that she had to go to the library for some last minute studying if anyone wanted to come. Lauren stood up and followed her out, and I was surprised Jess didn't go; they were like the three musketeers. Then again, Jessica went to the party without them, so maybe she was growing a backbone.

"Hey, Bells," Emmett said to me after Rose left, and I just looked at him and looked away. I had absolutely nothing to say to him. "Okay, then..."

Soon enough, lunch was over – thank goodness – and I headed to class. I felt someone grab my arm, and I pulled away, only to find that it was attached to Emmett. _Great_.

"What do you want, Emmett?" I asked, exasperated.

"Are you mad at me or something?"

"No. Why would I possibly be mad?" Sarcasm leaked through my words.

"What did I do? I thought we were becoming friends again."

"If this-" I waved my arms around "-is what you call 'becoming friends', maybe you should rethink that definition."

Infuriated, I walked away, feeling empowered in my dark pink wedges. How could he be so blind that he didn't realize what he was doing? If he had just left me alone at that party in the first place, I wouldn't have to deal with this nonsense. I had better things to focus on, like my grades and real friends. How could he think he's important enough to make an impact in my life without even talking to me? The nerve of this guy.

The rest of the day went by slowly. I couldn't keep my mind from wandering to Emmett and his perfect, blue eyes, the way his teeth gleamed when he flashed a smile at me – _No_, I thought to myself. _You're mad at him, remember_? I tried to focus on my English class, but it was hopeless. My thoughts were doomed to race.

* * *

I planned to stay home that weekend, but when Jessica called Saturday and asked if I wanted to go to lunch, I agreed. I wasn't quite sure if she was sincere or not, but I figured I'd give her a chance. She'd been nice at the party and at school, so why not?

"Hey!" she yelled when I walked through the doors to the diner. "Glad you came."

"Same. What's up?" I asked when I sat down.

"I just wanted to apologize for the way you found out about Emmett and Rose. I should've told you."

"It's okay. Emmett and I are just friends. It's no big deal."

"I can see the way you look at him, Bella. I know we aren't close, but I can tell if someone is crushing or not, and you, my friend, are crushing." The waitress came and took our orders, the same one from when Emmett came with me (cool), and when she left, Jessica said, "You're crushing hard."

"Okay, so maybe he's cute, and sweet, and totally awesome, but he's dating Rosalie again. So it's cool, really. I'll get over it."

"I knew it."

I laughed. "I just don't know how to go about this. It's not like I can tell him. I never would want to get in the way of their relationship."

"Oh, honey, _someone _needs to. It's totally over."

"Why do you say that?" I was definitely intrigued.

"This isn't my place, but I've been friends with them both since they started dating freshman year. They were great together at first, don't get me wrong, but in the last year, they've probably broken up like four or five times. It's just not meant to work out. I'm not saying you should break them up, but if they do, tell him how you feel." I sighed. I knew she was right, but it was just a crush. I'd get over it, right? And if Emmett was happy, that was the only thing that mattered anyway.

We changed the subject, and it turned out she was actually super cool. She just was someone who had her friends' backs. We hung out for about an hour and a half, and then we headed our separate ways with a promise to hang out more. I headed back home, and after getting out, I saw the whole football team in my backyard by the concrete ball court.

"Hey, Bella," they all called out, and one said, "You should come play some ball with us!"

"Yeah, we can play some one on one," another said, making a perverted gesture.

I just laughed when Edward gave him a glare and said, "That's my little sister, asshole."

I headed inside and sat down on our couch, turning the TV on, then I heard someone cough. I looked back and saw Emmett standing there with a glass of water. I flipped the TV back off, grabbed my purse, and headed for the steps.

"Bella, I'm sorry."

I turned around. "I'm not mad anymore." And it was true. I was more hurt than anything, even though I had no right to be.

"So what does that mean?"

"It means I'm not mad anymore…"

He sighed. "I know. I meant… I don't know."

"Look, I'll say hi to you in the halls and at lunch, but for now, I really can't be around you."

"Why? Because of Rose?" Hearing him say her name was like a shot through the heart. I just wanted these feelings to go away.

"No, you two make a lovely couple."

I turned around and headed upstairs without waiting for a reply.

**A/N: How'd you like it? Bella finally admitted she had a crush! Yay! Read and review! Thanks! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Sweet Perfection**

**Chapter Five**

Many days went by, and it became harder and harder for me to ignore Emmett and Rosalie. I saw them together in the hallways every day and, of course, at lunch as well. Slowly, I was growing jealous of her long, lean legs, and perfect blonde hair, and how her hand was able to fit right into Emmett's. I wanted nothing more than to trade places with her for a day, just to see what it was like, but that was silly for me to even think of.

Sliding into the seat next to Jessica, I watched them walk in together, making googly eyes at each other. I missed the days when I didn't care if they were dating or not, when I was happy just being single, but I suppose things always change eventually. After trying and failing to make normal conversation, I just threw away my lunch and went to sit in the student lounge. Why was it so difficult for me to just forget I ever had a crush? Maybe I just needed to find something to do in my spare time. My birthday was in just a few weeks, so I decided to plan a party, not that I'd ever done so before, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

That afternoon, Alice came over, and I told her about wanting to have the perfect birthday party. She squealed with excitement and offered to let me use her house as the venue (she easily had the biggest house in Forks). I readily agreed, and we went about making the plans.

* * *

NINETEEN DAYS UNTIL THE PARTY

I told all of our friends at lunch the next day, and they all agreed that "yes, hands down" they'd be going, even Rosalie (probably because of her never-missing-a-good-party issue). I was getting excited already, and they all said they'd pitch in helping with setting up or whatever else I needed. We talked about food and decorations, and soon, the bell for fourth period rang, sending us our separate ways.

* * *

FIFTEEN DAYS UNTIL THE PARTY

Alice offered to take over the party planning, but I declined.

"Are you sure? I know you hate this stuff," she said.

"I'm positive. It's not that bad once you get into it." I smiled, and she beamed. She loved how much I changed in just the past month or so.

We decided on the food, décor, and exactly what band I wanted, and I couldn't be happier. She even phoned her dad immediately and asked him to make a few calls for us, to which he gladly agreed. Guests were next.

"Okay, so no freshman or sophomores, obviously," Alice said, writing _Bella's Guest List _at the top of the page.

"That's kind of rude."

"Bella, are you friends with any lowerclassmen?" I thought about it before shaking my head and laughing. "Exactly."

She then wrote all of our friends' names down, then we got out a yearbook and went through it. A couple of hours later, she had basically copied down the entire junior and senior class. Who knew I'd make befriend so many new people during my transformation? Exhaustion overcame us, and Alice ended up just staying at my house for the night.

* * *

TEN DAYS UNTIL THE PARTY

Wednesday at lunch, I asked my friends if they'd help me pass out invitations to the juniors and seniors, and they all smiled and took some.

"Thanks so much, guys. Seriously, if you all weren't helping, I don't know what Alice and I would do," I said to them.

"We'd do anything for you, Bells," Jess replied with a smile, and Rosalie scoffed. "Most of us anyway."

She and Rose had been drifting further and further apart over the past couple of weeks, probably due to the fact that she was hanging out more with me and Alice, who was hanging out more with her boy toy Jasper. I wondered when he was going to ask her to be his girlfriend, as did she, but I pushed the thought aside and focused on eating my lunch in the last ten minutes of the period.

Later that day, I overheard Emmett and Rosalie talking pretty loudly at his locker.

"Why can't you just be nice to her?" he asked.

"Seriously? Look at her coming to _our _table and acting like she owns the place. It's pathetic." Ouch.

"The only thing that's pathetic right now is you. You've been whining about how she gets more attention than you lately, and it's not a competition. There's no winner here, Rose!" he yelled, slamming his locker shut and walking away. She almost screamed in frustration, stomping down the hallway in her stilettos.

Shocked, I put my books into my locker and ran after Emmett the best I could, thanking God I'd worn flats that day. Some of the people who'd already gotten their invites yelled that they'd be coming as I swooshed past them.

"Emmett!" I called when I saw him walking out in the courtyard. "Hey, I overheard you talking to Rosalie. You didn't have to do that."

"I know," he said, continuing to walk away from me.

"No, seriously, thanks." I touched his arm, and he stopped.

"Yeah, no prob. Just try not to listen in on my conversations next time." And with that, he walked away.

What the hell? I felt Rosalie's frustration and stomped back inside, heading towards my last period. My mind wandered all throughout class, but when Alice and I got to her place, it settled back into party mode.

"So bad news…" she trailed off, pacing back and forth in front of me while I sat on the couch in her room.

"My dad couldn't get you Maroon 5."

"What?! Oh my gosh. This isn't happening." I covered my face with my hands. "The party is in, like, a week. What am I going to do?" I knew I sounded like a brat, but I needed to rant like one for a minute.

"We'll just have to play it off your iPod on the sound system."

"We went from live band to iPod in, like, two seconds flat. Nobody is going to come now."

"That's ridiculous. Nobody even knows about a live band besides us," she reassured me, sitting down next to me and patting my back.

I took a deep breath. She was right. I knew she was right. I needed to calm down. I apologized, and we began to form a song list on her laptop. This would be fine. My birthday would still be great.

* * *

FOUR DAYS UNTIL THE PARTY

I was getting more and more excited each day my party got closer, but today was probably going to be my favorite. Alice, Jessica, and I were going shopping after school to find the perfect outfit; I had to look stunning.

"I'm telling you. We should totally go to Seattle. Port Angeles is not going to have an outfit good enough for you," Jess told me as we were walking to second period together.

"You're probably right, but I can't drive."

"Your truck is still messed up?"

"Yeah, I think it's done for good, and Edward is doing something later so I can't use his car." I definitely needed to sit down and talk to Charlie about my vehicle situation.

"Okay, I'll drive. And honestly, it's probably a godsend that you're truck is done. Totally not cute."

I laughed, and she walked into the classroom across the hall from mine. Just a few more hours, and I'd be on my way to Seattle with my two best friends.

I texted Alice right after, and she freaked out. Apparently, she hadn't been to the Pacific Place mall in forever and was so excited. We all decided that it was best to leave right after lunch (where I didn't see Rosalie or Emmett) and head straight for Seattle after dropping off Alice's car at her house, since the drive was so long. Even though it was three and a half hours away, the drive seemed pretty short with Jess and Alice there.

"Oh. My. God," we all said together.

The mall was so much bigger than the one back in Port Angeles, and it drove me crazy to think it couldn't be any closer. Squealing, we all headed straight for the stores. After two hours of searching and no luck, I found it – the most perfect dress ever. I grabbed it and ran to the dressing room to try it on.

"This is it, you guys," I said before walking out. They gasped and agreed, and I bought it immediately after taking it off. "Now for shoes."

"You have plenty of shoes," Jess pointed out.

"But I need _birthday_ shoes."

We shopped around until I found the perfect pair of red, open-toed pumps at Kate Spade. I was in absolute heaven. I grabbed a couple of red bracelets and kept the others black, along with the matching, dangling, black earrings. Finally, we headed back home, and it was ten by the time we got there. We said our goodbyes and headed to our beds.

* * *

THE DAY OF THE PARTY

It was finally Saturday morning, and that meant an all-day pampering session with Alice and Jessica at the latter's place since set up was happening at Al's. They wished me a happy birthday as soon as they saw me, both of them throwing their arms around me, then we talked about everything while we did facials, hair treatments, and the like.

"So how are you and Jasper?" I asked her.

"Good, but he still hasn't made anything official. I'm getting so tired of waiting, ya know? It's been two _months_." I could hear the distaste in her voice at the word, which made me chuckle.

"Maybe he's nervous. You did basically ask him out, remember?" Jessica said.

"Well, I am not doing this for him, too. It's time for him to put his big boy pants on."

"Agreed," Jess and I said in unison, and we laughed.

"So is it going to be weird having Rosalie there tonight?" Jessica asked.

"Why would it be weird?"

She smiled. "You're not as sly as you think you are. We both know you still like him."

"I don't. I've moved on. He's with her. There's nothing I can do."

The conversation moved onto who was hot and who was not in the senior class, and Jess admitted she was into my brother and that she was going to make a move on him tonight if he didn't make one on her – ew. The day passed by quickly, and seven o' clock was rapidly approaching, so I left Jess's at 5:30 to get ready. My dad said he wanted to take Edward and I out to eat, so after showering and doing my hair and makeup, I threw on some nice jeans, a cute shirt, and some black flats (so I would look even hotter tonight) and headed downstairs.

"Happy birthday!" they yelled at me together, and I thanked them, not being able to keep the smile off my face.

"Before we leave, we have something to show you," Charlie told me, and I racked my brain to figure out what it was. "Come on out back, Bells."

I followed them out to our separate garage out back, and my heart began to race. _They didn't. They didn't. No way_. Edward punched the code into the garage opener, and it began to raise open. _Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. _Then I screamed. They totally did. An all-black Mustang set in my garage with a large pink bow on top.

"Thank you sooo much!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs, then threw my arms around them both.

"It was mostly Charlie. I just paid for the tint," Edward admitted, but it didn't matter. It was incredible.

"It's, uh, a 2010. Convertible, too. I know you've been wanting a new car, especially since I just got your brother one and your truck died, so here ya go," my dad told me, and I almost started crying.

"This is seriously amazing. This is just way too much. I could never say thank you enough." I hugged them both again before saying, "Well, hop in. Let's go to dinner."

They laughed and did just that. I let the top down as I drove to Port Angeles, and the wind blowing through my hair felt so right. I knew tonight would be amazing no matter what.

Dinner was perfect. My brother and I reconnected with my dad since he'd been working so much, which he really didn't need to do. After our grandfather died years back, he left Charlie quite the sum of money, enough to live off of for at least the next twenty years luxuriously, but he loved being the Chief of Police.

When we got back, it was after 9:30, and guests would be arriving at Alice's soon. I ran upstairs to get ready, so filled with joy that I could explode. I slid into the tight mini dress – black with white lace covering the entire front, and a black belt around the waist – then pulled on my red shoes. After teasing my hair, I molded it into the perfect messy top bun and put on all my jewelry. I touched up my light eye makeup and added thick, winged, black eyeliner on my top lids before swiping on some red lipstick and another coat of mascara. I tossed all my necessities into a small, black clutch, then headed down to my new baby. I put the top back up and climbed in, then headed over to Alice's. 10:15. Perfect timing. Seeing the cars line her street made me giddy with excitement, and I made my way inside. Everyone yelled "happy birthday" when I walked in, and Alice hugged me and handed me a Sex on the Beach drink (she hired a bartender, of course, after having her dad sign off), then told me how amazing I looked. I told her the same; she was wearing a dark purple mini dress and black heels – so cute. I saw Jessica not long after in a hot pink dress, and she grabbed my hand.

"Someone has a surprise for you," she said, and I squealed as she guided me to the doors of what I knew to be Alice's dance hall (yeah, her house was more like a mansion).

Everyone followed us, and Alice stood in front of the doors beaming. "Ready?"

I nodded furiously, and she swung the wide doors open. I almost fainted when I saw what was behind them.

"Happy birthday, Bella. I'm sorry."

**A/N: I hope you liked it. Please review! It'd mean a lot to me. And let me know if I should slow down on posting chapters or whatever. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sweet Perfection**

**Disclaimer: Just in case this is necessary, the conversations and actions of the band/singer in this chapter is fully fictional.  
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Loved the feedback!**

**Chapter Six**

My mouth dropped open as I watched Emmett hand the microphone over to Adam fucking Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5.

"Happy birthday, Isabella. Remember, you will always be loved," Adam said before strumming his guitar and singing the lyrics to _She Will Be Loved_, changing eighteen to seventeen.

I ran up to Emmett and threw my arms around his neck. "You did this?!"

"Well, my dad did. And I remembered it was your favorite band. And he was friends with-"

"Shut up, and dance with me," I interrupted, causing him to laugh, and we began swaying to the music.

We danced to a few songs before I grabbed his hand and led him to the bar a couple rooms over. A few people sat there, and they wished me a happy birthday again and congratulated me on my amazing party. I thanked them, and the bartender handed me a pink drink and Emmett a Jack and Coke when we sat on the stools at the end.

"Thank you so much, Emmett."

"It's no problem. You deserve it, birthday girl." His teeth peeked out in his signature smile, and it made me weak in the knees. I tried to shake the feeling away.

"Where's Rose?" It seemed to be my typical party question.

"Somewhere around here."

"I'm surprised you did that in front of her." He chuckled. "What's funny?"

"You really underestimate me, Bella."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that if I want to do something, I'm not going to back down just because someone wants me to. I'm done with that now."

We took sips of our drinks. Yum. "Was she mad?"

"Furious." He laughed, as did I. "It was worth it, though." The wistful look in his eyes took me aback, and my face was burning under his gaze.

"Sorry I made you dance with me."

"I'm not. I missed you."

My heart melted at those words, and I grinned at him. "You better go find your girlfriend, McCarty."

He nodded, and standing up, he replied, "I'll see you around, Swan. Have fun."

It was my turn to nod, and I swirled around the umbrella in my drink, sighing. _Fuck feelings. It's my birthday_, I thought to myself and downed the fruity drink. The bartender came over, and I asked for a refill, which I downed just as quickly, and headed back to the dance floor.

I could feel the rush of alcohol go through me as I grabbed my two best friends and danced with them to my favorite band. We laughed and screamed as we jumped around in front of the stage for what seemed like hours. It was like we were stuck in this perfect sliver of time. After a while, I saw Edward walking to the bar, and I fell into step with him. I guess we both needed more alcohol in our system.

"So how are you liking your party, sis?"

"It's absolutely perfect. I can't believe Emmett got me Maroon 5." I almost squealed just saying it.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him pull a stunt like that… well, ever," he told me, and I blushed at the thought of myself being the only girl he's done that for.

"So have you seen Jessica tonight?" I asked, thinking back on what she said earlier that morning.

"Yeah, she's looking hot."

"You should go talk to her." I smirked, winked, and walked away, drink in hand. After doing that, I almost gagged to myself. It was safe to say I was drunk.

When I walked through the large foyer, I saw Rosalie and Emmett yelling at each other outside on the patio. I thought about intervening but again realized that it wasn't my place, so I headed back to the party, drink in hand. I finished it off while talking to Alice and Jasper, and right after, Jason came up to me and asked me if I wanted to dance. I smiled and agreed, going off to dance with the hot jock. When the song was over, another football player took over, and I soon realized the entire team wanted to have me for a dance. They all joked around with me and had me laughing the entire time. I was so lucky to be having this much fun. Jasper was the last one, and I looked over to Alice, who nodded her permission with a grin.

"So I hear you're treating my Alice right," I said after putting my arms around his neck.

"I'd say so." I'd never heard his southern drawl in such close proximity, and it was pretty sexy to be honest.

"When are you going to make it official?"

I could've sworn he blushed, but the lighting made it hard to tell. "Soon. I'm just nervous."

"Why?"

"I've never asked anyone to be my girlfriend before," he admitted shyly.

"And here I was under the impression that you date a lot." I smirked, and he chuckled.

"I never date, in case you couldn't tell."

"Just ask her. You won't regret it, I promise."

He nodded, and we finished dancing to the song. I was drunkenly surprised I was doing so well, but I guess most of the guys helped me stay standing throughout the dances. I began to walk away, but someone grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"Dance with me," Emmett demanded, and I nodded.

_Goodnight, Goodnight_ began to play as he held me close, and we just swayed to the music. I didn't understand why he was dancing with me after I just saw him fighting with his girlfriend. Wouldn't that make her even madder? Halfway through the song, I couldn't take it anymore, but before I even got her entire name out, he pulled me even closer.

"She went home."

If I thought dancing with my friends earlier was perfect, I didn't know what this would be considered. All I'd wanted since that first party was to be where I was now, surrounded by Emmett's muscular arms.

The song ended, much to my dismay, and Adam Levine said into the mic, "Could I please get Ms. Isabella Swan up here?" People whooped and hollered as I excitedly climbed the steps up to the stage, trying my best not to stumble in front of everyone. "I just want to say, and I think I speak for the entire band, that I hope you had an amazing birthday, and we're so glad we were able to make it here tonight." He kissed me on the cheek, then looked back at his band. "Hit it."

I fangirled all the way down the stairs as they began to play _Daylight_, and Emmett was waiting at the bottom to guide me to the middle of the giant hall, where we began to dance again. I didn't want this to be the last song because I didn't want Emmett to ever let go of me. I didn't want to leave tonight behind. I didn't want this little slice of amazing to turn into nothing, which it inevitably would. He would go back to Rosalie after the party, and they'd make up and do God knows what else – _Bella, stop! _I shook the thoughts from my mind and nestled closer to Emmett, if that was even possible, until the song ended.

"I'll let you say goodbye to your guests," he whispered into my ear, walking away towards the band. I guess he was going over there to say thanks.

I headed to the front door, quite shakily I might add, thanking everyone for coming as the two hundred or so people filed out. Soon, there was just Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and myself left in the foyer. I sighed, heading back to the bar for one last drink to clear my head; Emmett followed.

"Did you enjoy your party?"

"It was the best one I've ever had. Thanks so much for everything." I took a sip of the ice water the bartender handed to me (he said I didn't need anymore, which was probably true) and let out a long breath.

"Is everything okay?" he asked me, placing his hand on top of mine. Genuine concern graced his perfect features.

"Of course." _Not_. The night was over, and so was my perfect fairytale. No other day could live up to this one, not while I was still pining for Emmett. "What time is it?"

He glanced at his watch. "2:45."

"I should probably head home," I said, drinking the rest of my water. I stood up and swayed a little due to the head rush, and Emmett grabbed my shoulder to balance me.

"There's no way you can drive."

"Fine then. You drive." I tossed my keys to him and walked into the living room where Alice and Jasper were cuddled up. "I'm heading out, guys."

They both got up, and Alice ran over to hug me and give me one last happy birthday wish. To my surprise, Jasper hugged me as well, and I smiled, heading out of the Cullen house with a final wave and Emmett in tow.

The car ride seemed long, but it was really only about fifteen minutes. Emmett commented on how nice my new Mustang was and thanked me for letting him drive (he apparently needed a ride anyway since Rose drove him to the party). I closed my eyes for the last few minutes of the ride, the vibrations of the car putting me to sleep, but when I opened them, we were _not _at my house. We were just sitting in front of the McCarty's.

"What're you doing?" I asked, completely confused.

"We really didn't think this car situation through." I gave Emmett a look like he needed to elaborate, and he continued. "My Hummer's at Rosalie's, and if I drive you home, I'll have no way back unless you want your car to stay here until tomorrow, which would be kind of hard to explain to Charlie unless you want him to know you were drunk off your ass."

I sighed. Of course this would be my luck. "You can take me back to Alice's, I guess."

"You do have the option of staying here if you'd like," he told me, and I began to think hard about this. I would either be intruding on my best friend's romantic night alone with her soon-to-be boyfriend (fingers crossed) or stuck in my own personal hell where I would be in Emmett's house all night and not allowed to touch him. Finally, I opened my car door, and it wasn't long before he was helping me out.

The walk up to the second floor was oh so long, and I was just ready for bed. Emmett led me into his room and said I could wait for him to make up the guest bedroom here, so I sat down on his bed with my hands in my lap. I suddenly felt a sleep coming over me and laid my head down on his pillow. I just really needed to close my eyes…

**A/N: Not my best chapter, but I'm sort of down in the dumps. I'll do better next time! Review! Please and thank you! And also, thanks for reading! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Sweet Perfection**

**A/N: I want to give a shout out to _eureka twilighter_ for always reviewing my chapters. It makes me smile when you guys read and review so keep 'em coming and enjoy!**

**Chapter Seven**

"What the fuck?!" Rosalie's yell jolted me awake, and it took me just a moment to analyze what was happening. My eyes first dropped to the large guy's shirt I was wearing and then to a shirtless Emmett hustling to get out of bed. It all clicked in my head.

"Nothing hap-"

"You shut your filthy mouth," she threatened, interrupting me mid-sentence.

"Don't talk to her that way," Emmett snapped, pulling a shirt on over his perfect abs.

"You are in no position to tell me what to do."

"Rosalie, nothing happened! I would never cheat on you." What a good guy.

She ran her hand through her hair, brows furrowed and lips set into a hard line, as if she were judging whether or not to believe him. "Seriously, what the _fuck _were you thinking?" I stood up, grabbed my dress off the ground, and headed for his connected bathroom. "And where do you think you're going?"

Emmett was getting angrier. "Leave her out of this."

"You didn't leave her out of it last night, did you?" She turned to me, taking a few steps in my direction and lifting her finger up. "This is all _your_ fault."

"Shut up, Rose," Emmett warned.

"If you had just stayed out of our lives and in your own pathetic little world, this-" she waved her hand between Emmett and me "-wouldn't have happened." Tears began to well up in my eyes. I willed myself not to cry. Not right now_._ "If you had just minded your own fucking business, my life would not be in chaos right now. God. You're such a fucking homewrecker."

"Rosalie!" Emmett yelled before she said anything else, and I saw a glimmer of shock and fear cross her face at his tone. It kind of scared me, too… "Get out."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You will not talk to my friends that way, especially after I said nothing happened. This isn't her fault, it's yours."

"You better watch what you say, Emmett, or you're gonna lose me for good."

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to stand there and watch this relationship fall apart because of me, even if absolutely nothing occurred last night between Emmett and me. I needed out. I decided to slide off to the bathroom since Rose was more focused on her boyfriend now.

"Maybe that's what's best for us! Have you thought about that? All we do is fight, and you've changed so much this past year. It's frustrating to even be in the same room with you sometimes! I've waited, and stayed with you, and hoped you'd become the girl I fell in love with again, but nothing's happening!" I'd never heard Emmett yell so loudly, and it just motivated me to get dressed quicker.

"That is bullshit! I'm the same person I was four years ago!"

"No. You're not. And I'm tired of watching you grow meaner and more immature. No matter what you say, I still end up staying by your side, and I'm just done with all this shit. I don't need this anymore."

"Oh, so you're saying you don't need _me _anymore?"

"Don't twist my words, Rosalie." I could hear the frustration in his voice.

"I'm not twisting anything, Emmett."

"This conversation is ridiculous. I'm not gonna keep fighting with you." I heard his footsteps leave his room, followed by hers, so I walked quietly back into his room, hoping I'd be able to sneak out somehow.

"So you're just gonna walk away then?" she questioned.

The footsteps stopped._ Shit_. "You're not giving me any other choice!" Quieter, he said, "I love you, Rosalie, but we have to be able to trust each other. I promise you, all we did was sleep. She was too drunk to drive home, and I wasn't gonna let her take that chance."

"You should have." Her words sounded like venom, and I felt a pang of hurt. _Wow._

I heard him sigh. "Just leave."

"What?"

"I'm done with this conversation." He paused. "And I'm done with you, Rose. For good, this time. No second chances. No take backs. It's over, and I'm truly sorry it had to be this way."

"Emmett…" I could hear the sadness in her voice now that she realized it wasn't just another fight. "I'm sorry. Really. I'm just upset."

"Yeah, so am I, but it doesn't change what I said. I can't keep fighting with you. We both deserve to be happy, and this just isn't cutting it anymore." I heard her sob and head for the stairs, then I heard Emmett take a few steps and stop, as if he were holding himself back from going after her. I grabbed all my things, hurrying out of the room and towards the stairs, not even worried about sneaking now. "Bella," he muttered, touching my arm. I pulled it away.

"I need to get home," I said, walking down the stairs as quickly as I could. I left before I let myself look back.

I pulled into the driveway just as rain began to pour down. _Great. _I ran inside to find Edward cooking, and I threw my things onto the counter.

"You look like hell," he commented.

I hopped up on a stool at the breakfast bar and sighed. "I feel like hell."

"Wanna talk about it?"

I shook my head no, and he slid a plate of spaghetti in front of me.

* * *

I stayed in my room after eating lunch with Edward and even turned off my cell phone so no one could communicate with me. After wrapping myself up in blankets, I curled up in my bed. How could one night be so perfectly magical and the next day just… not be? I kept replaying bits and pieces of what was said back in my head and began to cry, knowing in my heart that I had no intention of ever breaking them up. Sure, I liked him a lot, but I controlled those feelings so well, even last night when I was drunk. If that wasn't willpower, I wasn't sure what was. I closed my eyes tight, drifting off into a slumber.

* * *

That Monday, I considered not even going to school, but I gave myself a pep talk and threw on some cute clothes anyway. I didn't need to be a coward, but I have to admit I was nervous that the whole situation would get out. I didn't want to be included in drama of any kind, especially this. Jessica was right, though. Their relationship was doomed, so I kept reminding myself that even if I hadn't slept at Emmett's, it probably would've ended soon anyway.

The day passed by slowly, most likely because I was watching my every step so I wouldn't run into either one of them. I'd convinced myself that if I hadn't seen them all day, they probably wouldn't be at lunch, but I was wrong. I walked into the cafeteria and immediately saw Rosalie dressed in all black, sitting at a small table with Lauren and a tissue in her hand. I passed by her, expecting some rude remark, but silence was all I got. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I headed for an empty seat next to my brother, but Emmett intercepted me, stopping me dead in my tracks in the middle of the lunch room.

"Hey, can we talk about what happened yesterday?" he asked.

"I'd rather not." I just wanted to stay out of it until it all blew over. I heard him sigh as I stepped around him and went to sit down. He followed me and sat at the other side of the table, making conversation with Jason and Jasper. Picking through my food, I just sat there.

* * *

Days went by just like that – Rosalie sitting at a different table, Emmett trying to talk to me, and me staying silent all throughout the day. I just couldn't handle speaking to him. Even though I'd finally put myself on the radar, I didn't enjoy being the subject of anyone's idle gossip and would not put myself in a situation at school that would get people talking. I still cared about my reputation, maybe even a little too much.

When I got home, I did what I did everyday now – threw on some exercise clothes and went for a run. It cleared my mind and kept me in shape, and I'd always loved it anyway. Running was freeing in a sense. Today, I guess life decided it wouldn't be.

"Bella!" Emmett called from his house, running to catch up with me. Why did his house have to be on my running course?

"What do you want?" I asked, never slowing down or looking at him.

"To talk to you."

"I don't want to talk about what happened." I tried to speed up then remembered he was the star quarterback on our football team.

"I just want a chance to-"

I stopped to look straight at him, getting angry that he wouldn't just drop it, and he stopped too. "A chance to what, Emmett? To drag me into your relationship problems? I don't want any part of it, and I don't want anything to do with this situation. Just leave me out of it!" I yelled before taking off running. He didn't follow me.

* * *

A week went by, and Emmett didn't try talking to me again. In fact, whenever I saw him, he turned around and went a different way to avoid me. It's not like I didn't want anything to do with him; it was quite the opposite. I wanted _everything _to do with him. Now just wasn't a good time to be his friend, and if it meant making him mad at me, that's what I had to do. It in no way meant I enjoyed it; the whole situation completely sucked.

Sometimes before bed, I'd think about him and that Saturday night at his house, wondering why he slept in the same bed with me. I definitely remembered falling asleep alone, but I didn't know how I got into his shirt or anything. He must've changed me while I was passed out, which I guess was nice, but it also embarrassed me immensely. Some nights, I wouldn't even think about that at all, and my mind would just focus on the night in the diner. Others, I'd picture how it felt when he danced with me to my favorite band (that he somehow got to perform) in front of everyone, and how the air around us was so carefree. But most nights, I would just picture his eyes, his smile, his strong but gentle hands, and how I oh so badly just wanted to be in his arms.

And then I'd realize I was falling for a guy with no chance of being caught, so I'd sigh and go off to sleep.

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! You can even make suggestions if you want! Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sweet Perfection**

**Chapter Eight**

Jasper finally asked Alice to be his official girlfriend, and she forced me to sit through all the details – sexual and not. He took her to the restaurant they had their first date at, where it turns out he saved up all his money from working to rent it out, hire a string band, and pay for a four course meal. After, they went back to his place where he'd decorated his room with candles and rose petals, even apologizing to her in case it was too much. The whole thing was amazingly romantic, especially since neither one of them had been in a relationship with so much passion before. I was so happy for her, but extremely jealous things had gone so smoothly for them.

I also found out from Jessica that she'd been on a few dates with Edward, but she wasn't sure how he was feeling about the whole thing. She ended up actually liking him when – surprise, surprise – they hooked up after my party (which I didn't need to know). I told her I'd tried to beat around the bush and find out for her.

It'd been a few weeks since I last spoke to Emmett during my run, and it'd been torture. Part of me wanted to break the silence between us since the school was over the gossip of their break up and onto Jasper and Alice's relationship, but for some reason I couldn't. Maybe it was pride, maybe it was just because I was still upset over being the reason he and Rosalie broke up. Either way, it was horrible, and tragic, and sad, and every other negative adjective you could think of, even though he was probably totally over our friendship's hiatus now. Walking through the halls, I could see him joking around with his friends, and he'd even made a few appearances at my house when the team would shoot hoops. Those were the times it was the most difficult for me to swallow my feelings and look away.

The week before Halloween, I heard about the party he was having (well, who didn't?) and how it was going to be "off the wall" and "totally raging." I sighed, not sure if I should even go. Maybe I'd just stay home and watch scary movies instead…

"Bella!" I heard someone call when I was at my locker, interrupting my thoughts about Halloween, and I turned to see Rose walking up to me. _Oh, no._ "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I've been wanting to apologize to you about, ya know, that day for a while now, but I didn't know how to say it, so yeah. I'm just gonna say it. I'm sorry I tried to blame you for the break up. The truth is, I saw it coming; I just didn't want it to happen. And Emmett was right, I've changed a lot, so I'm going to work on being nicer and more understanding. And I'm gonna learn to listen more because I'm not always right. And oh my gosh, I'm totally rambling on. You don't want to hear this." She laughed nervously, and I was surprised. I'd never seen her this vulnerable before. I mean she was basically the queen of the school. "Just know that I'm genuinely sorry, and if you want to be his friend, you know you can, right?"

"What?" That question was totally out of the blue, and it took me for a spin.

"I've noticed you ignoring him these past few weeks, and I'm not going to throw you under the bus or tell anyone what happened if you want to be his friend."

"Wow, thank you." I shut my locker and looked her in the eyes. "And I'm truly sorry for staying at Emmett's that night. I crossed the line, and-"

"No, no. You were drunk. You both had clouded judgment. I understand." She smiled and looked radiant; I hadn't seen her look even remotely happy in a while. "Well, I gotta get to class, so I'll see you around." She walked away, leaving me both shocked and relieved, and I headed towards my class as well.

* * *

When I told Jessica and Alice about the encounter with Rosalie, Jess swore up and down it was just a manipulation tactic, while Alice was on the fence about it all. Honestly, I thought she was being extremely sincere, so after a few days of thought, I felt a lot better about the whole situation but still decided not going to the party was the best call.

"Please come!" Jessica begged over the phone while they were getting ready at Alice's house.

"You're gonna regret it if you don't!" I heard Al yell from the background.

"She's right, ya know."

"I think I'll be okay," I said, laughing. "I'm not really in the mood to party, and besides, I don't even have a costume."

"Ugh, fine. We'll catch up tomorrow," she declared.

"Definitely. Have fun. Be safe. Love you!"

"Love you, too!"

I got off the phone and headed downstairs to watch TV movie marathons of cheesy horror flicks (by myself since Charlie left for a "haunted" fishing trip), and when I did, I saw Edward getting ready to leave.

"Nice costume, Dracula. Really original," I told him, laughing and biting into an apple.

"Yeah, yeah. It's hard to be a guy on Halloween," he joked. "Why aren't you dressed up?"

"Not feeling it tonight."

"Your loss," he murmured, shrugging. He said goodbye then left to help finish putting the final touches on everything.

The movies weren't cutting it like I thought they'd be, so I headed upstairs to find something to do to get my mind off of the Halloween party happening just a block or so away. I tried reading and watching funny videos on the internet, among other things, none of which seemed to work. I put my iPod on its docking station and cranked the music up as I began to clean. I grabbed my hamper full of clothes and headed downstairs to the laundry room, throwing them into the washer. Once I was back upstairs, I began to organize the purses I had laying around by putting them on the shelves in my closet in order of color. When I got to my black clutch, I accidentally dropped it, and a few things I hadn't taken out fell onto the floor as well. I started to pick up the chapstick and mascara (I'd wondered where that'd gone) when I saw a piece of paper lying on the ground. "She will be loved" was written on the back in a sort of chicken scratch/cursive mixture, and when I turned it over, it was a picture of Emmett and me when I was about eleven. Tears began rolling down my cheeks, and I realized he must've slid it in there the night of my birthday party. I looked down at my watch. 12:14. I ran out of the door with nothing in my hands, not caring that I was just wearing jeans and a long sleeve V-neck, not caring that I had no makeup on and my hair had its natural waves. I just started running towards his house. Halfway there, it began to rain, but I didn't turn back.

When I got there, I heard the music from inside even over the rain and ran through the door to his house. Some people gave me weird looks, and the ones I knew asked me if I was okay, but I didn't answer anyone. I headed for the kitchen and was thankful to see that Emmett was the only one in there. He was just standing at the counter with a beer in his hand and a sad look on his face, looking up when I walked in.

"It's about time you got here." He smiled, taking another sip from his drink. "So what're you supposed to be?"

"Sorry."

"Hey! Me, too." I took a second to look at his costume. He was just wearing a pair of dark jeans and a white shirt that had Sorry! game pieces glued all over it. Laughing nervously and running a hand through his hair, he said, "I was kind of banking on you showing up tonight."

I grinned and ran over to him, throwing my arms around his neck in a tight embrace, tears long forgotten. He wrapped his arms around me as well, not caring that I was soaking wet, and we just stood there for a moment. My thoughts were racing, and his body warmed me to my soul. I could've stood there forever, but he pulled back a little and brought his hand up to my face, pushing the wet hair that was stuck to my forehead and cheeks away. I probably looked like a mess, but at that minute, I didn't care. His bright blue eyes gazed straight into mine, as if searching for something in them, and I could feel the blush coming on as his stare lingered. And then, all of a sudden, his lips were on mine, and I was almost certain this is what heaven felt like. My fingers tangled themselves in his dirty blonde hair, while both of his were on my hips, pulling me flush against his body. After what seemed like a perfect eternity, we broke away, breathing heavily.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he whispered, our eyes locked onto each other's. "Now let's get you dried off."

**A/N: Sooo how'd you like it? Leave me reviews and let me know! Thanks guys! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sweet Perfection**

**Chapter Nine**

Once we were upstairs, it was much quieter. Emmett handed me a towel from the linen closet then a t-shirt and the smallest pair of shorts he had from his dresser, smiling. Taking them, I made a beeline for the bathroom, ready to be dry again. I walked back into his room a few minutes later wearing his clothes, a fresh face, and my hair in a wet bun on the top of my head, and he just stared at me from his bed.

I felt my pulse quicken and the blood rush to my cheeks, so I quickly asked, "What?"

Emmett stood up and, after walking over to me, cupped my face in his hands. "You're just so beautiful."

His comment just made me blush harder as I mumbled my thanks and followed him back to the bed. For some reason, I felt slightly uncomfortable sitting on it, my thoughts heading back to the night I fell asleep here. I couldn't help but wonder about waking up next to him in his clothes. I wanted to ask, but wouldn't that be awkward? Wouldn't that totally ruin the moment? I tried to let it go as he asked me how I'd been, but I just couldn't. I needed answers.

"Why did I wake up in your shirt that morning?" I blurted out, looking down and playing with my hands.

"What?" He asked, obviously taken aback.

I took a deep breath and looked up. "The night of my birthday party. How did I get into your shirt?"

"When I came back into the room, you were passed out on my bed. I didn't want to let you sleep in those clothes, so I tried to wake you up, but you were really out of it. I helped you out of your dress and put the shirt on you. I didn't see anything I shouldn't have. I tried to be a gentleman about it as best I could."

"And that's it? Nothing happened?"

"No, Bella. I wouldn't lie to you." He laced his fingers through mine, sincerity in his eyes and voice as he ran his thumb over the back of hand. "Why?"

"I don't know. I was just wondering because you were sleeping beside me."

"That was stupid of me to do, but I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to be near you."

Now that it was cleared up, I felt a lot better about it, thanking God that I hadn't done anything that night that might make me look like an even worse person. Rose's apology sank in even further, and all the sadness I had about causing their break up finally faded away completely. I leaned over and pecked Emmett's lips, and our conversation went back to normal as if I hadn't asked that question at all. We talked, joked, and laughed until the early hours of the morning, only taking a break for him to go say goodbye to his guests and usher all the drunken people out of the house. The sun rose before our eyes became too heavy to continue, and I fell asleep in his warm embrace, dreaming of him while I slumbered.

* * *

When I awoke hours later, it was to an empty bed. I stood up and headed for the bathroom, then changed into my clothes from the night before. I walked downstairs and headed for the kitchen, desperate for a glass of water. While the faucet was filling up my glass, I heard the front door shut, and Emmett walked in, still in his pajamas.

"Morning." He smiled, throwing some envelopes onto the counter before kissing my cheek.

"Have you been up long?" I asked, sipping on my water.

"No, not long. Maybe twenty minutes. I was getting the mail."

"It took you twenty minutes to get the mail?"

He turned on the stove, put a pan on the left front burner, and, ignoring my question, asked, "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Emmett, where'd you go?"

"Rosalie came by."

"What? Why?"

He took some eggs out of the fridge before saying anything. "Why didn't you tell me she spoke to you?"

"I didn't think I had to." I was growing angry with him not answering my questions.

"It would've been nice to know."

"Well, now you do," I snapped.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not trying to argue with you, Bella."

"Then why did Rose come by here?" I questioned, crossing my arms.

"To apologize. Like I said, I haven't been up long. It was a quick conversation." He cracked a few eggs, scrambling and seasoning them as they cooked.

"Just to apologize?"

"That's it." He turned to look me in the eye, and I let out a breath. "Now have a seat and watch me make breakfast magic."

"It's one in the afternoon, Em." I laughed as he flashed a smile at me, unable to resist his charm as I rolled my eyes and did what he said, pushing away thoughts of his ex.

I spent the day lounging with Emmett in his living room as we watched comedy flicks and laughed. Just being with him was so wonderful, especially when I thought I'd never get the chance to act on my feelings, and the minutes flew by like grains of sand in an hourglass – quickly and without either one of us even noticing where the time went. Soon, it was nightfall, and I asked him for a ride home.

"Stay again," he begged, pulling on my arm as I stood up to leave.

Laughing, I replied, "I can't. I have some laundry I need to finish up, and it's late."

"The laundry will be there in the morning." He looked up at me with sad eyes, and I found it hard to resist him but did my best.

"I won't be if I stay the night here again. We were up 'til six."

He pulled on my arm again, and I sat down, even though I was afraid I wouldn't get back up again. He leaned in and kissed me then moved to the side of my neck, where he stopped for a second and whispered in my ear, "I'll be a good boy and go to bed early tonight." His sultry voice flipped a switch in me, and my fingers immediately found themselves entangled in his luscious hair when he went back to kissing my neck. It traveled downward to his leg, where it settled on his thigh, as he moved down towards my chest. His hand somehow found its way underneath my shirt before he muttered, "But it's always more fun being bad." I'd never seen this side of him before, and it was totally and undeniably hot.

"Emmett…" I quietly moaned his name when his lips kissed right above the deep v of my shirt and his hand glided over my breast.

"Just say the word, and I'll stop," he promised, but I didn't want him to. I just tried to pull his body closer to mine. I was craving his touch all over me, and I didn't want to leave with this need lingering on my mind. When he pulled me on top of him, my center straddling his legs, and our lips collided, I knew this was just what I'd been wanting for so long. I also knew it probably wasn't the best of ideas, so I reluctantly pulled away, breathing heavily and staring into his blue eyes.

"I really should go..." I murmured.

He closed his eyes tight, nodding his head, then opened them with a smile. "Okay, let's go."

I got off of him and followed him out to his car, wishing I could stay but knowing I should go. These things didn't need to happen so quickly between us, and even though I knew we both knew that, I still felt bad for leaving. I shook the thoughts away, focusing on the last few minutes I'd have with him for the night.

Emmett tucked my hair behind my ear before starting the car then looked back at me and said, "I'd never pressure you into anything you didn't want to do."

"Thanks, Em." I grinned and grabbed his hand as we rode in comfortable silence through the neighborhood. In the blink of an eyes, we were at my house. "I had fun," I told him.

"I did, too. I'll call you." He kissed me, I got out, and he drove away with a wave.

I walked into my house, and Edward and Jasper were sitting in the living room watching some football game. They both looked at me, and Edward paused the TV to say something.

"Hey, where have you been all day? And night? You weren't here when I got home from the party, and you haven't been answering your cell. I've been worried for hours because Alice and Jess said they hadn't seen you since school yesterday." The concern was evident in his voice, and it made me feel guilty for not letting him know.

"I, um, I was at Emmett's."

"I didn't see you there," he said, and I could tell he didn't believe me.

"I did," Jasper butted in, and Edward glared at him. "I didn't know if you were gonna tell anyone, so I kept my mouth shut," he told me, his eyes not even flickering in Edward's direction, and I knew he was the perfect guy for Alice.

"Thanks. That was nice of you." I smiled and headed for the stairs.

"Bella?" I heard Edward's voice call, and I did a 180, seeing the glare replaced with a sad smile. "Call next time, okay?"

I nodded and went up to my room to shower before finishing up my laundry and heading to bed, thoughts of Emmett's tan abs, soft lips, and strong hands flooding my mind.

* * *

I waited all day Sunday for Emmett to call. Every time my phone would ring or buzz with a text, I'd hoped it'd be from him, but it was always just a friend. _Just a friend_… I didn't even know what Emmett and I were right now. I hated being stuck in the area between friends and dating because it was always the hardest to understand. Like, if we were friends, I'd know my boundaries, and the same goes for us if we were in a relationship – I'd know there are way fewer lines in danger of being crossed. But what were the boundaries now? Where were the lines? A simple text could through everything into a tailspin. Ugh, why wouldn't he just call?

I tried to go about my day without thinking of it, but let's face it – Emmett was always on my mind. After folding and hanging up the last load of laundry from the night before, I threw myself down on my bed. I tried to read, but I couldn't wrap my head around what was going on. I tried to watch a movie, but the same issue arose. I even tried playing a game of pool with Edward, but I missed every shot and eventually just gave up. Why was it bothering me so much? I decided to throw on a pair of shorts (despite the weather growing colder), a long sleeve tee, and my favorite Nikes and go for a run to clear my head. My feet were fast beneath me, so I went the long way tonight – out of my neighborhood through one entrance, all the way to the diner, and back in through the second entrance. The air felt perfect as it blew my hair out of my face, and I could feel my thoughts focusing only on whether or not I should stop for a drink at the halfway point. When I got to the diner, I went with yes and walked in, a sheen of sweat across my forehead, and Sheila (who was quickly becoming my regular waitress, it seemed) immediately handed me a bottle of water.

"Thanks," I said with a smile, taking some sips.

"No problem, sweetie. It's on the house," she said before heading over to a table in the corner.

I followed her with my eyes, and I saw Rosalie facing me, sitting with a guy across from her. _Good for her for moving on_, I thought. I guess she felt my stare because she looked up at me, our eyes locking as a sly smirk crept upon her pretty features. I knew why when Emmett turned around in his seat and saw me, his face crumpling into an expression of sadness and disbelief. I'm sure my own expression mirrored his.

**A/N: I'm trying my best to make these chapters good, but I just broke up with someone so it's kind of hard to write about love! Haha. So what do you all think Emmett was doing? Review and let me know! I hope you enjoyed it!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sweet Perfection**

**A/N: I'm sorry for not uploading since last Monday or whenever it was. I got really sick this past week and was in bed more than two-thirds of the day! Thanks for reading, and I hope you like this chapter!**

**Chapter Ten**

I suddenly became angry, turning and leaving the diner before I said anything out of line. I screamed, threw my water bottle in frustration, and began to run back home.

"Bella!" Emmett called out, and I could hear his footsteps catching up to me. "Bella, it's not what it looks like."

"I'm done playing your games, Emmett," I replied, not even looking at him.

"What games?"

I stopped and glared at him. "I'm not an idiot. I'm not one of those girls you can manipulate."

"What are you-"

"I'm not gonna stand by and watch you cozy up to whatever Rosalie is to you! I will _not _be that girl! I'm done. Don't ever talk to me again, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, I took off running and was home in the blink of an eye. When I got upstairs to my room, I changed and wrapped my blankets tight around me, wishing away all thoughts of what I saw at the diner. I wanted to die of embarrassment, and I didn't even know why. Why is it that every guy you think is amazing is actually just a huge douchebag in disguise? Did Emmett seriously think I was that stupid? Blinking back tears, I attempted to go to sleep, and after what seemed like ages, I finally did.

* * *

Monday morning came too quickly, and I wanted nothing more than to stay in bed. I couldn't let those two conniving assholes get to me, though. I wouldn't be _that _girl either. I threw on a long sleeve, black, skater dress that hit mid-thigh, dark grey tights (it was getting colder, ugh), and dark purple Mary Jane-like heels, pairing it with a matching purple purse and skinny belt. I threw my hair into a high top bun, swiping on winged eyeliner, two coats of mascara, light blush, and some peach lipgloss, then got into my Mustang and headed to school. I felt beautiful, and even though Emmett kind of gave me a chip on my shoulder the night before, my confidence was higher than ever.

"Bella, hey!" Alice yelled from Jasper's car, and as usual, our gang of friends was there, Emmett and Rosalie included (although they weren't necessarily _my_ friends).

I smiled, walked over with my head held high, and said hey to everyone. We all chatted for a few minutes until the first bell rang, and mumbling that he had to get to class, Emmett walked away. After deciding that was probably a good idea, Alice and I followed, leaving the rest of our friends to mingle in the parking lot.

The day went by slowly, but whenever I saw Emmett, I'd roll my eyes or scoff at him as we passed each other. I'm pretty sure I made it clear I was completely pissed, so I was extremely confused when he sat down across from me at lunch and flashed me a shy smile. I almost growled in annoyance but ignored him the rest of the period. The lingering question popped into my head, though – why did this have to happen to me? Ugh.

* * *

A week of silence went by, and it was frustrating. I wanted to yell at Emmett and cuss out Rosalie, but I held my tongue. I didn't need to cause any unnecessary drama just because I was upset, especially at school, but it was hard to keep the words from spilling out of my mouth when they were near me.

"He's a dog," Jessica said after I told her what happened that Saturday afternoon at my place. "I would just let that bitch have him. They obviously deserve each other."

"You're right. It's just hard. I like him so much, and it hurts so bad." I looked out of my window, staring at the cloudy sky, completely lost as to what to do except try to forget.

"I knew she wasn't sincere in that apology."

"I'm not really in the mood to hear you say 'I told you so,' Jess," I replied honestly.

She sighed. "That's not where I was going. Okay, well, maybe it was, but it's not like I'm _glad _I'm right.

I laughed, stood up, and said, "I'm going downstairs for a snack. Coming?"

"I think I'm gonna go say hi to your brother." She winked, and I left hurriedly, completely grossed out. I told Edward that Jessica liked him, but other than that, I avoided their relationship (or whatever it was) unless one of them brought it up.

As soon as I made it to the bottom of the stairs, I saw the last person I wanted to see walk through my door. I screamed internally, wanting to punch a hole through his face.

"So you don't even knock now?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen, pulling out some stuff to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a butter knife.

"I never have," Emmett answered, walking over to the breakfast bar that separated us. "Can we talk?"

"There's nothing to say."

"Bella, just let me explain. Rosalie and I-"

I dropped my knife onto the counter, which caused him to stop talking, and said, "I don't give a shit about what you want to say. If you want to be with her, fine, but don't talk to me about it."

"I'm not-"

"Emmett! Just shut up, and leave it alone. I said I was done, and I meant it."

I hurried up the stairs, slamming my door shut and choking back sobs. A whole mix of feelings came to a head, and I just wanted to cry and throw things, although I definitely would not do anything like that with him or Jessica here. I forced myself to think about other things, even when I heard Emmett walk up the stairs and into Edward's room. Jessica walked in with an annoyed look on her face.

"I can't believe he came here." She scoffed and sat down in my chair in the corner.

"I mean, he's Edward's friend, so I can't really do anything about it." I sighed, really wishing I hadn't left my half-made sandwich downstairs then realizing I'd lost my appetite anyway.

* * *

Many days went by, and Emmett came over every single one of them. It was exhausting avoiding him or staying in my room while he was here, and when I did see him, he'd say hi or wave, which I ignored (duh). I tried to keep it together, but after a week and a half of having to see him at school and at home, I was done.

"Can you stop having Emmett over?" I asked Edward as we ate dinner that night.

"What? Why?" He seemed confused, and I guess I hadn't really talked to Edward about anything lately because he was so busy all the time.

"I don't want to be around him."

"Why?"

"I just don't, okay?"

He sighed. "Well, we're working on college applications and papers."

"Can't you do that at his house?" I was getting really annoyed just talking about this.

"His kitchen is being renovated, so it's loud there, and the diner's way too distracting."

"Fine, whatever," I conceded grudgingly and finished my dinner without saying another word.

* * *

"I'm so fucking tired of having to see him every fucking day," I told Alice the next day at lunch when we were the first two at the table, so angry that I couldn't be in my own house without him there most of the time.

"Well, they do need to work on their applications," she pointed out. "And maybe he's making a point to come over every day because he still wants to talk."

"The only thing Emmett wants to talk about is his relationship with Rosalie."

"How do you know that if you won't let him speak?"

I sighed, taking a bite from my apple. "Who's side are you on?"

"Yours, duh. But no one knows what he has to say, Bells. Give him a chance to get it out."

Maybe Alice was right, but I dreaded that conversation. It already hurt to know he blew me off for Rose, but I didn't want him to actually say it. That'd be way worse, but then again, maybe it'd give me the closure I need to just move on from this whole situation. I told her I'd try to talk to Emmett without interrupting or yelling, and when the rest of our table sat down, I gave him a small smile.

Later that afternoon, I sat at the breakfast bar, waiting for Edward and Emmett to get home, and when they finally did, I'd already finished my algebra homework. They walked through the door laughing, but Emmett's grin faded when he saw me.

"Can we talk?" I asked him, throwing the question at him this time, and Edward hurried up the stairs.

"Um, yeah, sure." He looked confused, but he threw his backpack on the couch and took a seat next to me.

"I'm sorry, Emmett. For yelling at you and not ever letting you speak. I was acting like a child," I admitted.

"It's okay, but it's time for me to explain." I nodded, and he continued. "Rose asked if I'd meet her at the diner for dinner, and I said yes because I wanted to hear what she had to say after her apology the day before. Well, she wanted to get back together. She threw me a story about how she was gonna work on herself, be better, all this crap, and honestly, for a minute, it almost worked. She knows just what to say to get you to believe her, but then all I could think about was you. I even told her that I really was done, that there was nothing left, and that I was starting to have feelings for someone else, and she guessed it was you. She tried to feed me all this shit about every little thing that was wrong with that whole concept, which was everything because you're not her, and then you walked in and saw us. I knew exactly what it looked like." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know why I put myself in a situation that could be interpreted like that, and I'm sorry."

I was in complete shock. The past two and a half weeks of me ignoring him was all over a misunderstanding? I was pissed at myself but so happy that he still had feelings for me. Well, at least I hoped he did.

"Wow… I'm an idiot. Did I completely ruin everything?" I asked, a frown on my face.

He didn't say anything for a minute. He just brought his hand up to the side of my face, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear before cupping my cheek.

"How could someone so amazing possibly ruin anything?" he asked before placing a light kiss on my lips.

**A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter! Yay for Bella finally letting him explain! Haha. Read and review! Let me know what you're all thinking! Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sweet Perfection**

**Chapter Eleven**

I wasn't sure what to say, so I just kissed Emmett harder, sliding my tongue against his lips. He opened his mouth slightly, toying with me, as he pulled me off my stool and in between his legs. I just stood there kissing him, never wanting to stop, but alas, we did.

"I'm so sorry for acting the way I did," I said again.

He leaned his forehead against mine. "No, I should've called you first and told you I was going. I just didn't want to hurt you."

"How ironic," I muttered, and he grabbed my hands in his.

"Can we just put my past with Rosalie behind us?" he asked, a pleading look in his deep blue eyes.

"I would love nothing more," I replied, kissing him softly. "Now go get to work on those applications."

"I don't think Edward would mind if I took a day off."

"Good. I missed you."

He kissed me on the forehead before mumbling, "I missed you more."

We spent the day lying in my bed, just talking about everything. That was the best part about being with Emmett. We could just be together without any pressure of anything on our shoulders. I could be completely myself, and so could he. We talked about his dad deciding to renovate their house one room at a time (which Emmett found annoying and pointless), how many of our friends were pairing up (Edward finally asked Jess out on a real date after their sociology class), and school. When we got on the subject of college, the look on his face was pure joy.

"So many people hate filling out applications, but it's so exciting for me. I'm pretty sure I'm going somewhere on full scholarship for football, but there aren't any promises. I'm thinking UCLA or someplace totally unlike Forks, but who knows. I might end up going to Washington State. I'm just ready to get out of high school, ya know?"

He was basically rambling out every one of his thoughts, but I was so happy for him. It warmed my heart to see him this interested in college, and I hoped he got into his dream school, wherever it may be. We talked more about it, then moved on, laughing and joking around with each other. It was so great to be around him again, and it felt even greater to have the Rosalie drama behind us.

"What're you doing Friday night?" he asked me.

"I don't know yet. Why? Got another party planned?" I joked.

"Nope. Something even better. We are going on a date," he stated with a smile, trailing his fingers down my arm.

"Sounds like a perfect Friday night to me," I whispered against his lips before kissing him.

* * *

The next day at school was like a walk in the park compared to the past few weeks of tension between Emmett and me. Whenever he saw me, he made a point of walking me to wherever I was going, which was such a lovely change from all the work we did avoiding each other.

"So I see you talked to Emmett yesterday," Alice said with a smile as we headed to the parking lot after school.

"Yeah, I did. It was all just a big misunderstanding." I grinned back.

"I knew it. Emmett's a great guy, Bella."

I pulled out my keys before saying, "Yeah, I know that now. He's taking me on a date tomorrow actually."

She literally squealed, which made me laugh. "Can I please help you pick out an outfit?"

"Yeah, duh."

We spent all afternoon looking for something that'd make Emmett's mouth drop until we finally found it – a black multi-colored floral cropped/bralette top, pink high-waisted pants, a white blazer with the sleeves rolled up, and black heels. It was cute, stylish, and still showed some skin in a classy way. It also was great because of the chillier weather. It was safe to say I was in absolute love with this outfit.

"I'm so excited for you! I hope it goes well," Alice told me when we went downstairs.

"I know it will. We'd be so great together," I gushed, and we began to discuss dinner options until we finally decided on ordering a pizza, which Edward pitched in on and ate with us.

* * *

The whole day Friday I was in over-excitement mode. I had a grin planted on my face from morning to afternoon, and all of my friends told me at lunch that they hadn't seen me this happy in a while, to which Emmett grabbed my hand under the table with a smile and squeezed it. Finally, school was out, and I went home to relax in a nice bubble bath before showering up and getting ready. I threw my hair into a messy top bun (a style I was coming to love) and did my makeup before pulling on my clothes and walking downstairs.

"Going out tonight, Bells?" Charlie asked when I came downstairs, scaring me.

"Wow, you're actually home," I said after regaining my breath. "Yeah, I have a date."

"Oh? With who?" He was sipping on coffee in his police uniform.

"Emmett McCarty." I couldn't keep the enormous smile off my face, and I squeezed my black clutch in excitement.

"He's a good kid. I approve." There was a knock on the door, and I almost squealed before realizing that Emmett never knocks. How gentlemanly. "Have fun, and be careful. Oh, and I probably won't be home until the morning. Working on a big case."

"Okay, Dad. Good luck," I told him before opening the door. "Hey," I greeted Emmett, who kissed me on the forehead, and I followed him out.

Emmett looked rather dashing in tan pants, a pink and white striped button down, and a long sleeve, V-neck, navy sweater over it. I'd never seen him look so nice, and it made this date seem all that more real. Plus, we totally had a similar color scheme… How cute. He buckled me into his Hummer, pecked my lips, and got in on the driver side.

"So where are we going?" I asked, struggling not to seem too over-eager.

"It's a surprise." He smiled and turned on the radio, which I cranked up, and we sang at the top of our lungs all the way to Port Angeles.

When we pulled into the nicest restaurant in the city, I was shocked. He did _not _have to spend a lot of money on me, but it was so nice that he wanted to.

"This is amazing, Emmett," I said to him when we were seated.

"Just like you," he complimented with a grin. "Get whatever you want."

I looked over the menu, trying to avoid the prices, but it was difficult. Finally, I decided on the five-cheese baked ziti with a side salad, and when the waiter came, we gave him our order. After he left, another waiter came up and filled two glasses with champagne, placing them and the bottle in front of us.

"How did you get this?" I asked him.

"My dad is friends with the owner."

"Oh, of course. One of your many connections," I joked, and he laughed.

I took a sip of the champagne, which was fantastic, and we talked and talked until our food came out.

"This is amazing," I repeated after tasting the pasta.

He took a bite of his shrimp Alfredo and sighed in delight. "Agreed."

Our dinner was just perfect. We steered clear of talking about anyone but ourselves (just like at the diner), and I learned even more about Emmett, like how he was really hoping to play in the NFL one day and how he was allergic to cats. The range went from serious to funny, and when it came time to go, I was almost sad.

Emmett drove us to the PA park a few minutes away, and we walked hand in hand around the trail. The fall leaves were beautiful as they fell down in an array around us, and this night seemed almost too good to be true (thank goodness it was, though). We strolled in a comfortable silence for a while, just soaking in the beauty that was Seattle in the autumn night. When I felt his gaze on me, I turned to him.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just admiring the scenery," he said, and I could feel my cheeks turning crimson.

"You're sweet."

"And you're beautiful. I can't believe I was so blind all those years."

"Emmett…" His compliments were almost too much, and I didn't know what to say.

He stopped, as did I, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. "You're honestly the most beautiful person I have ever met, inside and out, and I'm so thankful to be standing here with you tonight."

"I don't even know how to beat that." I chuckled nervously as I memorized his every feature in the beautiful moonlight.

"It's not a competition, I promise." His grin spread across his face, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

Feeling confident, I replied, "Do I still get you as my prize?"

Without responding, he leaned down and kissed me softly, our lips moving in a slow motion, passion fueling our limbs as he held onto me tightly and my hands went straight to his hair and neck. The only thing going through my mind was the fact that I was falling hard for Emmett McCarty, and I didn't want to stop.

**A/N: Did you like their date? Let me know by reviewing! Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sweet Perfection**

**Chapter Twelve**

For the rest of the weekend, I only had thoughts of Emmett on my mind. The only thing I wanted to do was just be with him every minute of the day, no matter what we were doing. After months, of pining and tension, I finally got a date with the guy I'd been dreaming of for so long, and I didn't want to waste a single moment of this bliss on laundry, research papers, or cleaning the house. Unfortunately, though, I was. While Emmett was at home working on some things of his own, I got everything done that I needed to do.

On Saturday, he sent me a text that simply read, "Had a great time last night. Thinking of you," and Sunday night, he called me.

"Hello, gorgeous."

"Hi, Em," I replied happily. "What's up?"

"Just finishing up some homework. I was calling to see if you wanted a ride to school tomorrow."

"Sure, that'd be great."

"Awesome. See you in the morning."

"Yep. Goodnight," I said, getting off the phone, hopping off my bed, and dancing excitedly in the middle of my room.

I stopped when I saw Edward standing in the doorway. "Having fun there, Bells?"

"Um, yeah." I attempted to tame my now wild hair. "Whatcha need?"

He had a smirk on his face when he saw my cell phone in my hand. "I cooked dinner if you wanna come eat."

* * *

Monday morning, I woke up fifteen minutes early to find something cute to wear. After checking the weather and seeing it'd be a little warmer that week (yay!), I decided on a muted teal dress, cinching it with a leopard belt, and lace tights with black wedges. I curled my hair and tousled it, giving it a relaxed look, and threw on some simple makeup before grabbing my things and heading downstairs. Emmett opened the door just as I walked into the living room, and he smiled at me.

"I like your tights."

"Is that sarcasm?" I asked, worried.

"No! I've just never seen you wear them," he answered, and I walked outside with him following me.

"Well, thanks."

"I think you look just as amazing as always," he promised before kissing me softly and starting up the car.

The ride to school was good. We talked about our boring weekends, and Emmett said he'd much rather have spent it with me, which gave me chills to know he'd missed me just as much as I had him. When we pulled into the parking lot, we got some stares. No one had known about us being as close as we were, and I felt Rosalie shooting me daggers from her BMW a row over. Instead of stopping and saying hello to our friends (we were later than usual), we headed straight for the school, walking hand in hand as we went.

All day, I could hear the mumbling in the halls about Emmett and me. Since Forks High was such a small school, this was big news to the senior and junior classes. I mean, Emmett McCarty, a senior guy who was the quarterback of the football team, dating Bella Swan, a junior who just recently became popular? I could see the appeal for gossiping, although it was kind of annoying. I was super happy that Emmett had decided to go public with us dating, though. It was nice to know that he didn't care about anyone else but us.

I was one of the first ones to get to lunch, and I sighed as I realized that the only people sitting at the table hated me. I thanked God when I saw Jasper heading for the table as well.

"So you two are finally dating, huh?" Jasper asked me when we settled into our seats, Lauren and Rosalie scoffing at the words. "It's about time."

"We've been on one date, Jasper. It's no big deal," I told him.

"We've both known Emmett for a long time. If he's showing you off to everyone after one date, it's definitely a big deal." He grinned at me, and my heart fluttered. Maybe he was right.

"Oh, whatever. He's only with you to try to forget about me," Rosalie interjected, glaring at me.

"Who asked you?" I was getting tired of her always being a bitch to everyone, especially me, and I could hear my annoyance coat the words.

"He dated me for years, sweetie. Do you honestly think he's not gonna come back to me?"

"_I_ honestly think that," Emmett said, coming out of nowhere and sitting down next to me. He kissed me on the cheek before continuing. "If you can't handle the fact that it's actually over or at least keep your thoughts on it to yourself, then maybe you shouldn't sit with us until you get it under control."

He nonchalantly pulled out a sandwich and took a bite, Rosalie's jaw dropping at the comment. She stood up and threw away her lunch, storming out of the room with Lauren following. Jasper began to make conversation with Emmett as others came and sat down, but I could only think of the fact that he just defended our budding relationship without even blinking an eye.

* * *

A blissful week went by without any more of Rosalie's remarks (she took Emmett's advice on sitting somewhere else), and talk of a Thanksgiving dinner at Alice's place the next weekend began. She wanted to make it an event for her friends and their families, and all of us were in. Edward and I both offered to help cook, which Al gladly accepted (she didn't know how because of the health nut kick), and Emmett decided to pitch in as well. I was so excited to spend this holiday with everyone I cared about.

* * *

The next week went by quickly, and before I knew it, I was standing in Alice's kitchen basting a turkey while Edward made candied yams and Emmett prepared stuffing. We laughed and had a great time getting the dinner ready while Alice set up the large dining room with the help of her maid Elizaveta. A few hours later, family members and the rest of our friends began to arrive. Soon, everyone – Jasper and his parents, Emmett and his mom (his dad was away on business), Jessica, her mom, and her little brother (her dad left them a couple years back), Alice and her parents, and Charlie – was sitting around the table, food spread out all over it. We dug in, and Edward, Emmett, and I got so many compliments on it.

The dinner went on without a hitch, thank goodness. Rosalie kept her mouth shut about Emmett and me, even when she saw me meet Mrs. McCarty for the first time, who was so sweet but was slightly uppity, and I was so thankful that there wasn't any drama. All throughout dinner, I saw Charlie and Jessica's mom Sue flirting with each other, and I knew Jess saw it too when she smiled at me and gave them a look from a few seats down. After helping clear the table and watching people file out, I decided that it was probably one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I'd ever had.

Even after dinner, Charlie and Sue were still talking in the dining room, seemingly unaware that we were finished eating. Jessica and I were squealing about how we might become sisters in the near future (silly, I know), and Emmett played with her little brother Grayson, who was five. At some point in my conversation with her, I focused instead on the two of them throwing Grayson's Nerf football back and forth and laughing, smiling at how Emmett seemed to get along so great with him. Guys liking little kids had to be on the list of the cutest things ever.

"Well, I've gotta get home and work on some stuff, so I'll see you guys there whenever you head back," Charlie told Edward and me after he finished talking to Sue.

Edward left with Jessica and her family, and Emmett's mom and Jasper's parents headed out as well. Soon, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and I were alone in the living room, just chatting.

"So does this mean we can double date now?" Alice asked, and I could hear her squeal building up inside of her.

I looked at Emmett with a grin and said, "I guess so," then she squealed.

"I can't wait!" she yelled.

Jasper laughed before adding, "She's been waiting for this for a while."

We all laughed together, and after a while of pleasant talking, Emmett and I decided to go back to his place and relax.

When we got there, all the lights were off, so I guess Emmett's mom had gone to bed, not that I'd ever seen her there before anyway. After walking in, I noticed the renovated kitchen, and I complimented him on the fantastic job. It was extended a little, and the island was two levels now, the shorter one having a leather bench underneath it. The white cabinets that were in there were now an antique-stained brown, and the black marble was replaced with lighter granite. The already awesome appliances were replaced with even newer stainless steel ones, and I was in awe. I could see the living room undergoing construction, and Emmett said he didn't even know what they were doing in there. After looking around, I followed him up the stairs to his room, and we laid down on his bed.

"That dinner was great," he said, and I agreed.

"It was. Who knew Emmett McCarty had culinary skills that were _that_ great?" I joked.

He laughed before saying, "My dad's chef might've taught me a few things, but you, my Bella, cook a perfect turkey."

My stomach flipped when he said my name like that, so all I could get out was a "thank you." I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest, just lying there like that for a little bit. My mind was sound for once, knowing that I had this great guy right next to me who cared about me a lot.

"Bella?"

"Hm?"

"I know we've only been a couple of real dates, but I have a question…" Oh, great. Here comes the time when he asks for sex, only for me to say I want to wait, and then things will be awkward. I looked up at him as if to tell him to continue. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" My mind began to race, and so did my heart. I was _not _expecting that.

"Seriously?" I asked, baffled.

"Yeah. I mean, I really like you, and I think you feel the same, so I was hoping we could just make this official already." He seemed nervous – he was running his hand through his hair and almost stuttering over his words.

"Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I'd love to be your girlfriend." I sat up, actually letting in sink in before a huge grin spread across my face. "I'd love nothing more."

He joyfully chuckled before placing his hands on either side of my face and kissing me hard. "Good."


	13. Chapter 13

**Sweet Perfection**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Emmett and I began spending even more time together now. If I wasn't at his house studying for midterms, he was at mine filling out applications, and if we weren't doing anything school related, we were usually at the diner. I loved having him on my arm officially, and the days passed by in a joyful blur.

"Winter break is finally here!" Emmett exclaimed, bursting through the school's front doors after our half day of exams, and people whooped and hollered.

I just sighed in relief. Midterms were easy for me, but it was everyone around me that stressed me out. So many students were on edge, hoping they'd pass without even studying or worrying that they wouldn't make good enough grades to get that scholarship they needed, but I was pretty sure I passed with flying colors, as was Emmett. Anyway, since they were finally over, I was putting the exams behind us and focusing on this break, the best part of which being Christmas!

* * *

The whole break flew by, but I enjoyed spending time with my beau and our families whenever we could. I, of course, made time for Alice and Jessica as well – we'd eat together, have snowball fights with our men (Jess was finally dating Edward, unofficially), and had plenty of at-home spa time – but they were busy with their families and guys, too.

* * *

Christmas Eve came quickly, and Edward and I headed over to Emmett's finally finished house for dinner and Secret Santa (I drew Jasper's name and bought him a big painting of his hometown by some famous southern artist). Edward and I arrived a little early to help finish setting up dinner and all. When we got there, my eyes were immediately drawn to some guy I knew I'd never seen before but looked really familiar. Edward just walked right past him to the kitchen, almost huffing as he went.

"Hi, I'm Landon McCarty," he said, introducing himself to me in the foyer.

"McCarty? Are you one of Emmett's cousins?" I just knew I sounded totally clueless.

His face crumpled in confusion. "No. I'm, uh, I'm Emmett's older brother. And you are?" I should've known they were brothers – they had the same blue eyes, blonde hair, and build. Emmett and Landon looked so much alike at first, it was eerie, but then I noticed the differences – Landon didn't have Emmett's smile or dimples, and he was also a lot tanner (perhaps he lived in California). Even though they both had blonde locks, Landon's looked lightened by the sun, but they were still an extremely attractive pair.

Snapping out of my reverie, I held out my hand to shake his. "Bella Swan. Uh, Emmett's girlfriend."

Landon shook it, a smile replacing his baffled expression, and I grinned back almost as if I had no control over it. "It's nice to meet you."

"You, too."

"I can see why you're on my brother's arm. You're absolutely stunning," he told me, and I blushed a lot harder than I should have. Also against my will, I thanked God that I picked out such a perfect outfit – a tight, red, long-sleeve dress with black, lace tights and black Louboutins – and left my hair down in messy waves. "It's like you don't even know it."

"Landon." Emmett's stern voice cut off further conversation, and his brother walked away.

"I didn't know you had a brother." I waited for him to explain, but he only said four words.

"It never came up." He looked annoyed but kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand.

"Only because you didn't bring it up," I pointed out.

"We can talk about this later," he stated before dropping my hand and walking into the dining room.

I groaned and headed for the kitchen, hoping everything would go well.

After about twenty minutes, Alice, Jasper, and Jessica showed up (Emmett decided it was best that Rosalie didn't come), and we all sat down to eat the amazing feast his dad's chef prepared for us. I didn't see Landon for the rest of dinner, but all throughout it, I was trying to figure out why Emmett never told me about him and why they seemed so bitter towards each other. Nonetheless, it was great to spend this holiday with my closest friends.

When dinner was over, we migrated into Emmett's living room, where the tree was set up with all of our presents underneath it. Alice excitedly clapped her hands, and the rest of us couldn't keep the grins off our faces. Emmett slid my present out from beside the tree first (unknowingly, of course) and read Jasper's name off.

"Wow, that looks pretty big," he said, ripping the paper off slowly. I heard Emmett's muffled "that's what she said" comment and laughed to myself. When Jasper finally had all the paper off, he just gazed in amazement. "This is such a beautiful painting. And this artist… Wow. Thanks, whoever got this for me." I felt my heart flutter in satisfaction.

Alice was next, and she got this amazing dress that wasn't even in stores yet. I had a feeling Jessica bought it for her because her mother was a designer herself. Emmett got a football autographed by the entire Seattle Seahawks team (Jasper?), Jessica got a simple diamond bracelet (probably Edward), Edward got season passes to every University of Washington game for the next two years (Alice maybe?), and I got a new Nikon camera (my boyfriend?). I sure hoped my guesses were right, but we'd find out in just a few minutes, after everyone finishing gushing about their awesome gifts.

"Okay, time to guess our gift-givers," Emmett announced with a large smile in place. "Jasper, you're up."

"Bella?" he asked instead of stating it, and I nodded happily. "Knew it. Thanks. You have great taste. Your turn, baby," he told Alice.

"I know it's Jessica. Tell your mom I said 'thanks,'" she joked, and Jess pretended to be offended and pushed her a little.

Emmett guessed Jasper on his present as well, but Jasper shook his head no before Alice spoke up. "I got yours, Emmett."

"Dude, thanks," he said. She looked proud.

Jessica stared down at her bracelet before making eye contact with Edward. She didn't even guess. She just said, "Thanks, babe." I guessed they were closer than they led on.

Jasper confessed to giving Edward his present after he guessed him, and the only person left was my boyfriend. I threw my arms around Emmett and told him the camera was too much, but he shook his head.

"I want you to start capturing memories of us and our friends," he told me. "College is just around the corner for some of us."

I smiled, sitting back and taking my first picture – a close up of his face. His beautiful, perfectly chiseled face, with that boyish dimple I loved so much. He laughed and kissed me, and we all just hung out around the fire until it was time for everyone to go home and get to bed. Before I left, I handed Emmett a small box which contained two tickets to California, where I was planning to take him for spring break.

"This is amazing, Bells," he murmured into my hair after picking me up and twirling me around. "Thank you so much. I can't wait to go with you."

After saying our goodbyes, I left, but not before seeing Landon coming down the stairs. I forced myself not to think about the fact that Emmett and I didn't have the talk he promised me. Another day.

* * *

Christmas morning, Edward and I raced down the stairs like little kids ready to see what Santa Claus got them, and our dad was cooking breakfast, something he only did on Christmas or for really big news. It smelled like it was going to burn, though, like always, so I ran to the stove and took over for him, also like always. When we were done eating, we sat around our tree where three presents sat (we liked to keep it simple at home). Edward opened his first, and it was a pair of keys.

"Dad, what's this?" he asked immediately, and I was eager to know, too.

"Your early admissions letter came in from UCLA. You got in, son!"

"Are you serious?!" Edward semi-yelled, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, my God! This is amazing!"

While my brother was on the verge of jumping up and down, I looked at my dad. "But what are the keys for?"

Charlie was stifling a large smile. "Well, I talked to Emmett's dad, and he got in on early admissions as well…" He was drawing this out, ugh. "Well, William and I pitched in and bought you guys a condo in Westwood!"

"Are you _kidding _me?! Dad, that's awesome! You have no idea how thankful I am!" Edward exclaimed, jumping out of his seat to hug Charlie (something they never do).

"You're welcome. I'm sure Emmett's hearing the same news you just got right now," Dad said, a proud and satisfaction-fueled grin on his face. "Your turn, Bells."

I nodded with a grin, so happy for my brother and boyfriend and excited for my gift as well. I opened up the box, and there was a simple certificate. I read it aloud. "Forty thousand airline miles, courtesy of American Airlines… That's a _lot_ of miles, Dad," I said, stunned.

"I figured you're going to be seeing those two as much as you can while they're in college," he explained.

"Thanks so much! I love it!" It was my turn to throw my arms around his neck, and when I let go, I looked at Edward then back at Charlie. "And now it's your turn."

Dad opened his large, heavy box in front of us and stood there shocked. It was a new 40 inch, 4K television for his den, and Edward helped him carry it in there and set it up right after our dad thanked us tons. He really loved winding down and relaxing with a good show or whatever game was on, and he told us it was the perfect gift.

For hours, we all sat in the den, watching TV, talking about Edward's new condo and how I was going to fly everywhere, and basically just laughing and chatting about everything. When I heard a knock on the door, I headed back towards the living room just as Emmett walked in, an excited look on his face.

"I'm so sorry if I'm disturbing your family time, but I just had to come tell you," he said, out of breath.

"Tell me what? Did you run here?" I asked, laughing, and he nodded.

"I got in!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me tightly. "I fucking got in to UCLA, Bells. I can't even wrap my head around it," he mumbled into my hair, and I hugged him tighter.

"I know, babe. I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it, Em."

"This is cause for a celebration," he declared.

"It's Christmas," I pointed out.

"All the better reason to celebrate!"

I chuckled at his wantonness. "Emmett, nothing is open."

He sighed. "You're right." For a moment, it seemed as though I crushed all his hopes and dreams, but he was beaming not seconds later. "Right after the holidays, then. We're going to have an amazing dinner, and it's just gonna be perfect."

"Sounds great," I told him, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck and putting my lips on his.

We stood there in my living room for what seemed like forever, just kissing and joking around in hushed tones, until Charlie and Edward walked in. They wished him a "Merry Christmas" before Edward and Emmett began freaking out about their new condo in Cali. Emmett stayed for about an hour, all of us just enjoying each other's company, then he headed home for dinner.

"Merry Christmas, Em," I muttered against his lips before he left.

"Merry Christmas, beautiful."


	14. Chapter 14

**Sweet Perfection**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Ringing in the New Year was just as big of a holiday to my friends as Christmas was, and Emmett always threw a huge party for it. His excitement was that of a six year old when he began shoving insane amounts of alcohol in the huge fridge the night before, and it just made me laugh. He was still setting up when I went home at midnight.

* * *

The next day, Alice conference called Jessica and me at about four and told us to come over to her house immediately, so of course, we did (you never crossed Alice). When we got there, she had three gorgeous clothing ensembles hanging on her newly installed wall rack (for helping her figure out what to wear).

"I took the liberty of buying you two outfits for Emmett's party tonight. I thought we all needed to sparkle."

Alice's beaming smile and jumpiness reminded me of my boyfriend's excitement the night before, and I came to the conclusion that I surrounded myself with kids trapped in teenagers' bodies. When she pointed out which ones were ours, I walked straight to mine, admiring it and thanking the mall gods that I didn't have to wear a skimpy dress tonight like Jessica in the cool air of Forks (she didn't seem to mind at all, though).

"Well, try them on!" Al yelled at us, and we did.

We walked into her closet/dressing room and pulled on the clothes. I had on a loose, pale cream, three-quarter-sleeve shirt with minimal black and silver detailing on the front, which tucked into a pair of black, sequin hot pants along with black, translucent tights underneath and black booties with sky high heels. My legs looked miles long, and it was surprisingly comfortable. I looked over at Jessica and saw that she had on a long-sleeve, dark silver, sparkly, form-fitting dress. The entire back and sleeves were a black translucent material, which traveled across her shoulders and all the way down to right above her belly-button, showing off the tops of her breasts but very little in between them. Sadly, she didn't have the luxury of tights, but her black heels were to die for. We gave each other thumbs up and walked out to meet Alice, who also had her outfit on – a loose, long-sleeve, bright gold shimmer dress, black tights similar to mine, and black heels with a long, layered, black necklace.

"I picked the perfect outfits. We look hot!" Alice exclaimed, and we laughed and agreed. She definitely did.

Instead of doing our normal spa day routine, we took our outfits and went separate ways. I got home at about five-thirty and cooked and ate some fettuccine alfredo with Edward before going upstairs to shower and get ready. I took my time, shaving and moisturizing every part of my body before shampooing and deep conditioning my hair. When I got out, it was a little after eight, and I walked over to my vanity. I decided on very light brown eyeshadow to define my crease slightly, black winged eyeliner on top, two coats of mascara, peach blush, and red lipstick. After drying and texturizing my hair, I threw it up into my signature top bun, then I pulled on my clothes, grabbing a red clutch from my closet and tossing my things into it. I looked at the time – 9:27 – and hurried out to my Mustang, driving to Emmett's just a block over.

"You look gorgeous, babe," Emmett told me as soon as I walked in, and he kissed my lips softly.

I admired how hot he looked with his dark grey, long-sleeve button down, open black vest, and dark jeans, smiling. His five o' clock shadow was my undoing, and I wanted to jump his bones right then. "So do you," I replied before kissing him again harder, entangling my fingers in his hair.

I pulled away when I heard Alice say my name and looked to my right to see her and Jasper standing there, both of them looking amazing. She was growing out her hair, and even though it was in that awkward mid-length stage, it looked beautiful with the curl in it. We chatted for a bit until more and more guests started arriving, and Emmett drifted off to attend to them (what a good host compared to Halloween). After Jasper and Alice walked off to mingle, I walked into the kitchen to make a drink and found Jessica and Edward standing there talking.

"Hey, guys," I said to them, and they turned.

"You look damn good, Bells," Jess said, and I threw the compliment back at her. After we finished our drinks, she grabbed my hand. "Time to dance."

I followed her into the dance hall, strobe lights flashing and music blaring, and we moved me to the beat, the vodka I drank getting to my head. We laughed and danced for a bit, and finally, my boyfriend appeared.

"Hey, stranger," I murmured against his lips as our bodies swayed together, and his lips began trailing kisses down my neck (much easier than normal due to my six inch heels).

Some great songs were playing, and for I don't know how long, Emmett and I stayed on that floor dancing, my body sliding up and down his as I got low and grinded my ass into him. I didn't know what it was, but tonight, he looked absolutely delectable. I wanted him so badly.

"Let's go upstairs," Emmett muttered into my ear, and I was thankful he was thinking the same thing.

As I was following him up, I saw Landon leaning against the kitchen counter from afar. He raised his glass to me when our eyes made contact, and it gave me shivers. I tried to shake away thoughts of the conversation Emmett and I never had, but I couldn't. God, why did I need to know everything? By the time we got to his bedroom, my mood had switched from horny to curious.

When I sat down on Emmett's bed, he followed suit then said, "I wanted to talk to you about Landon." _Uh, what?_ I guess my expression mimicked my thoughts because he continued. "I think now's a good time."

"Okay," I simply replied, not wanting to lead on that I thought he wanted to get down and dirty up here.

"We just haven't gotten along since about a year ago now. He did something really fucked up, and we haven't been okay since."

I placed my hand on his leg. "What'd he do?"

"He, uh… He took advantage of Rosalie…"

"What do you mean by that…?" I had a feeling I knew, and horror was sneaking up inside of me.

"She got really messed up one night, and he forced himself upon her."

"Are you serious? Did she press charges? Do your parents know?" I rambled out question after question before taking a breath.

"No. I mean, I'm serious, but no to the charges and my parents knowing. The only people who know are me, Rosalie, and Edward." He was running a hand through his hair, and my stomach was flipping inside. "It happened at this party we threw at the end of last January. That was why we broke up the first time. It was rough on her." _Wow._

"I don't even know what to say. I'm so sorry…" I placed my hand on his cheek and tried to search his eyes until he smiled slightly.

"It's in the past, but I just don't want you to be alone with him, okay?" I nodded. "Let's get back to the party and down some drinks. I sure need one." I agreed, and we did.

We hung out in the living room for a while, just mingling together, but Jessica and Alice came over and pulled on me until I went to go dance with my two drunken best friends. Thoughts of last year's incident between Rose and Landon escaped me, and I let my inhibitions down. We twirled, grinded, dropped it low, whipped our hair, and everything else because of the alcohol getting to our heads. Honestly, we were probably pretty entertaining and amusing to watch. I stopped when I got a little tired, and when I focused my eyesight, I saw Landon and Rosalie talking in the corner all alone. It looked like she was smiling and touching his arm, but he had an annoyed look on his face. I rolled my eyes, probably seeing two other people instead, and headed towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"Wow, you look amazing tonight," I heard from behind me and spun around.

"Landon," I greeted in a monotone voice, a stark look on my face as I sipped on my beverage.

"What? No thank you?" His laugh was carefree as he took a swig of his beer.

"Why don't you leave me alone?"

He looked confused. "Why are you being like that when you don't even know me?"

"I know enough about you to stay away," I told him before walking away, disgusted that he'd even talk to me like we were friends.

Before I knew it, it was nearing midnight, and I headed into the dance hall to find the music had been lowered and a projector was on, showing a huge picture on the wall. I soon realized it was a televised showing of the ball drop. I saw Emmett standing at the front of the room, and I immediately walked up to him, huge smiles on both of our faces. The entire room counted down together, and right after we said one, Emmett planted his lips on mine, dipping me low as confetti guns shot out little pieces of metallic paper. He pulled me up, both of us laughing, and I pecked his lips and face all over.

"I love you."

"What?" I asked, unsure if he said what I thought he'd just said.

He stared deep into my eyes. "I love you, Isabella."

I could feel the blush growing on my cheeks, and my heart skipped a beat or seven. This wasn't happening. Emmett McCarty loved me. Me, of all people. I couldn't even form a complete thought, but after a moment of clarification, I realized I should probably say something.

"I love you, too!" I basically yelled, and he crashed his lips on mine, holding me flush against his body, every other person in the room disregarded.

What a perfect way to start the new year.

**A/N: What'd you think of the chapter? Leave me reviews and let me know! I haven't been getting as many, and I'm not sure if I sure keep posting chapters or not. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Sweet Perfection**

**A/N: I really hope you guys like this chapter. It's a heavier one, in my opinion anyway. Enjoy! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! You guys are the best!**

**Chapter Fifteen**

A couple of hours later, people were ushered out of the McCarty residence by no one other than Emmett, and I was firmly attached to his side as we said goodnight to his guests. While Emmett was chatting with Jasper, who was waiting on Alice, I noticed something through the open front door. I could clearly see Rosalie and Landon standing on the sidewalk by her car. He looked like something was bothering him, and when she leaned in to kiss him, he stopped her, asking her some question before telling her goodbye. She angrily got into her car and squealed off. That didn't seem like behavior of a rape victim with her supposed rapist, but Emmett's eyes never wandered to what I just saw – it was over before it even began really.

Landon began walking towards the front door, and despite wanting to stay by Emmett's side indefinitely, I told him I was going to the restroom after Landon had walked by. I followed him up to what I assumed was his bedroom.

"What do you want, Bella?" He was undoing the buttons on his shirt, back to me.

"You didn't do it, did you?" I asked, the gears in my head turning at above average rates.

He sighed, dropping his shirt to the ground, and I reluctantly admired his defined back muscles. "Do what?"

"Take advantage of Rosalie last year."

He tugged on a tight t-shirt, throwing the other in the laundry basket, before saying anything. "No. I didn't."

I didn't ask to sit down on his couch but did anyway, dying to know what actually happened. "So why did she say you did?"

"It's complicated."

"It's really not, Landon. Either you did or you didn't, and you say you didn't, so I need to know why she's lying."

He ran a hand through his blonde hair, and from the side, with that frustrated expression on his face, he looked just like Emmett. _Wow_. "Okay, but don't spread it all around."

"I won't," I promised, and he began.

"We were at this party Emmett threw here. My classes were on three day break, so I flew up here to see him. We used to be really close…" He got a faraway look in his eyes before snapping out of it. "Well, anyway, it was a real rager, and I got really fucked up, so I went upstairs to my room to just call it a night. This blurry image of a blonde girl was right there, and she was ready to… well, get it on. I was extremely horny and drunk off my ass, so I went with it." He took a sip of water, and I was becoming more intrigued by the second, especially at how he didn't seem embarrassed to say anything. "I didn't realize it was Rosalie until Emmett's fist caught me off guard while I was fucking her. You have no idea how bad I still feel about that."

"That doesn't explain why she lied to Emmett, though." I was becoming quite the interrogator, and I figured I'd blame that on Charlie.

He sighed again. "I didn't know until that summer that she even said that, and no matter how hard I tried to get Emmett to talk to me, he wouldn't. And I tried for weeks, but it was pointless. He never gave me a chance to explain, and we've spoken very few words since…"

This was one of the saddest stories I'd ever heard. I knew Rose was a manipulative liar, just not to this extent. She needed to be called out, to be punished for her actions, and I began thinking up ways to do it.

"And she actually likes you?" I asked, thinking back to the scene outside.

Landon chuckled, and it was a refreshing noise after what he just told me. "I think she just wants to get back into my bed, but I'd never go there."

"What a bitch," I said, throwing up my opinion.

"Yeah, it's pretty fucked up." I could feel his eyes traveling over me. "In all honesty, though, I would never intentionally do anything to hurt anyone, especially my brother or his girlfriend, whoever she may be."

I felt a blush creep across my cheeks, and I stood up. "Well, I better get downstairs. I'm sure Emmett's wondering where I am."

Landon nodded, pouring himself a little scotch over ice from his own mini bar, and I flew down the stairs. How insane was this information? I had to tell Emmett right away. This could mean that he could patch things up with his brother, but he'd probably want proof… Besides, I couldn't ruin his night with that kind of news. Ugh, why was this so difficult? Playing Nancy Drew was harder than it seemed.

"Hey, sweetheart. Where'd you run off to?" Emmett asked me with a smile when I walked into the living room, and I saw everyone else had gone home.

"I just had to freshen up. Long night," I lied, deciding it was best to talk to Rosalie first, no matter how much I despised the thought of being alone with her. "Happy New Year, Em."

He pulled me down onto the couch, his hand resting at the nape of my neck. "I couldn't have asked for a better start," he said before our lips collided in a sweet and romantic kiss, but it soon turned fiery and passionate.

Despite the news I just got, I had a need for Emmett to touch me all over, and thoughts of that scandal quickly escaped me. My hands were clumsy, grasping his hands, his shirt, his hair, anything get me closer to this gorgeous man. He suggested we go up to his bedroom, and I agreed. He led me up with our hands latched together, and when we were finally in his room, he locked the door and sweetly pecked my lips.

"I love you," Emmett told me for the second time that night, and I knew I could never get tired of hearing it or saying it back, which I did before unbuttoning his shirt.

I slid his vest down his arms, his shirt quickly following, and ran my hands across the planes of muscles on his abdomen. He had to be the most handsome man I'd ever seen in my life. His hands flew to my sides, and he gently untucked my shirt before pulling it over my head, then without warning, he yanked my shorts and tights all the way down to my ankles, where I then stepped out of them, placing sloppy kisses along my thighs and stomach on his way back up. My hands attempted to undo his belt and jeans as fast as I could, filled with more want that ever, and finally, I did it. I could see a hint of a playful smile tug at Emmett's lips right before I got a grip on his jeans and pulled them down, mimicking his actions by kissing his thighs near the huge bulge in his Calvin Klein boxer briefs. He was so big, it almost scared me away. Almost. Soon, we were standing in front of each other in close to nothing – him in his manly underwear, and me in the carefully selected matching bra and panty set Alice forced me into wearing tonight (it's like she knew). My hands flew to my hair, sliding out the very few pins holding it in place, and my natural waves fell down in a waterfall around my neck and chest. After a moment of just appreciating each other's bodies, a fire was ignited, and Emmett tossed me onto the bed before kissing me with more passion than ever. I loved it. I craved it. My heart was racing, and my breaths were labored as he placed chaste kisses along the tops of my breasts. I sit up, allowing him to undo my bra, and he flung it across the room,

"You're so beautiful…" he murmured, his hands kneading my breasts and his mouth covering mine.

Emmett began to lick and suck on my right breast, and my hand flew up to wrap his hair around my fingers. I didn't want him to stop. My stomach was doing flips – the good kind, of course – and tension was building up inside the very pit of me. Oh, how I'd craved this touch for so very long… He switched to my left breast, and I moaned quietly, which caused him to be slightly rougher. He bit down on my nipple, and my moan was louder this time. Moving down my stomach, he slowly placed kisses all over me before licking my center right over my lace panties.

"Oh, my god," I dragged out, the sensation bringing my need to all new heights.

Emmett gave me a smirk, tugging my underwear off slowly and teasingly, which was killing me. I was ready to burst with desire. Before I knew it, his tongue was delving deep inside of me, and it took all I could not to scream out. He paused to knowingly look up at me.

"My parents are out of town. You don't have to be quiet."

I nodded, barely able to breath, and Emmett's mouth covered my sex again. He added a finger, then two, pumping them in and out of me, his tongue drawing circles on my clit. He picked up the pace as I moaned louder and louder, and I felt my release drawing near. I desperately wanted to let go. No, _needed_ to let go.

"Oh, my god! I'm gonna come!" I yelled, totally unashamed.

Emmett curled his fingers upwards inside of me, and that was my undoing. I clenched the bed sheets and threw my head back as I came hard, and he licked up every drop of my soaking wet pussy.

"Wow," I said after regaining my breath.

"You're so fucking hot, baby."

Emmett looked at me with wanton desire, and I straddled him, kissing him hard. I tasted myself on him, but I didn't care. I placed sloppy kisses all over his chest and stomach, making my way down to his bulging boxers. I hooked my fingers into them and pulled them off, my eyes growing wide at how long and thick his dick was. I should've known he'd be huge, though, because every part of Emmett was, and I licked my lips in anticipation. I glided my tongue slowly up the underside, and he groaned almost silently with as much want as I had. I wrapped my hand around him, sliding it up and down slowly as I placed the tip of him in my mouth. I began to bob my head up and down slowly, forcing as much as I could of him into my mouth, although I could barely manage half. I licked and kissed his dick all over, lightly sucking on his balls, my hand pumping him harder and faster. I knew he was close to coming so I wrapped my lips tight around his head.

"Bella, I'm gonna come," he told me, but I stayed in place.

Then, he did, and I swallowed every last drop, something I'd never done before for anyone. I slid my mouth down his shaft one last time then threw my body beside his. We were hot and sweaty, but I still wanted him deep inside of me.

"You're so amazing, Em," I muttered into his neck, licking that spot right below his ear that I learned got him going a while back.

"No, you are." He crashed his lips to mine. "God, I need you so much."

After a few minutes of kissing and groping and teasing, Emmett was as hard as a rock again, and my entire body throbbed with the need to feel him within me.

"Make love to me," I whispered against his lips, our eyes locking, and he nodded, getting on top of me and placing the tip of his cock at my entrance. I was incredibly glad we already had the awkward conversation about me being on the pill and both of us being clean. Spitting on his fingers, he massaged my pussy, sliding two fingers in for a second then pulling them out.

"Are you sure about this, Isabella?" he asked me, and when he used my whole name, I became putty in his hands. His voice was so husky and full of desire as he hovered over me, and inside, I was screaming for him to just give it to me.

"I've never been more sure about anything," I said honestly, every inch of my body aching with how close he was to the one spot I needed to have filled.

Emmett began to slowly inch his way inside of me – and I'm not going to lie, it hurt quite a bit, and I wasn't even a virgin in the slightest – but once he managed to somehow fit it all in, I grew accustomed to his size.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

I nodded, a slight smile forming on my face. Emmett pulled out slowly then pushed back in fast and hard, eliciting a moan from both of us. Soon, he developed a slow but hard rhythm, and I never wanted this to end. I was slowly building up to release again, and Emmett was placing kisses along my neck and jawline while I pulled on his hair. He stared into my eyes for a moment before his mouth fastened itself to mine as he pumped in and out, in and out… I was in pure bliss, and before I knew it, I was right there on the verge.

"Cum for me, baby," he commanded sexily into my ear, picking up his pace to inhuman speeds, and I did.

I was completely pushed over the edge, my muscles tightening around his large dick, but he kept sliding it deep into my convulsing pussy, sending me into another orgasm as soon as I came down from my first. When my second began, I screamed out Emmett's name, and he groaned, stilling and cumming inside of me. I felt so close to him, and my entire body went limp.

"God, I love you," he got out between breaths.

"I love you, too."

Then I nestled into his side, we fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up before Emmett, and seeing him asleep was probably the sweetest thing I'd ever laid eyes on. His expression was peaceful, and I kissed his forehead before getting up and heading straight for my overnight bag and the bathroom. I grabbed a shower then dried off and brushed out my hair, thankful that it looked presentable as waves began forming. I braided my long bangs back out of my face and pulled on a pair of tight, straight leg jeans and a loose, gray and black striped, long-sleeve V-neck. I slid on the black flats I packed, brushed my teeth, and walked back into Emmett's room. He was still sleeping soundly, but his body was sprawled out across his king size bed. I loved looking at him. I just loved him. All of him. I decided to go downstairs to grab a glass of water, and I saw Landon sitting at their breakfast table reading the newspaper.

"I take it your night was pretty eventful after we spoke," he said when he saw me, smirking. I had totally forgotten that he was there, and I guess Emmett did, too (or he just didn't care). I blushed furiously, and he looked back down at his paper. After a few minutes of him reading and me sipping on water, he broke the silence. "Thanks for believing me."

"No need for thanks," I told him.

"Actually, there is. You're the first person I've gotten to talk to about it. Helped a lot to know at least someone knows the truth."

"Well, anytime you need to talk, I'm here."

Landon nodded, smiling, and I went back upstairs to avoid his lingering stare. I knew he found me attractive from all the compliments he given, and he wasn't shy about eyeing me. I shook the thoughts away and pulled a book off Emmett's shelf when I was back in his room, lounging on the couch so that I wouldn't disturb him. After a half hour, he began to stir.

"Bella?" Emmett called out quietly, and I walked over.

"Good morning, handsome."

He pulled me down so that I was sitting next to him, and he stared up into my eyes. "Last night was perfect."

I smiled at him, pushing his messy hair back. "It was."

"I love you," he said, kissing my hand then my arm, traveling all the way up to my neck, and I was getting turned on just thinking about what might ensue.

"I love you, too," I barely managed to say, my hands roaming his naked body, and I felt his erection as I brushed my hand over it.

"I wanna fuck you so bad," Emmett murmured against my ear, and I immediately got wet, his hand sliding up my shirt to my right breast. "I wanna slam you into my bed until you can't take it anymore."

I moaned and kissed him hard, stripping off every last piece of my clothing. I slid my tongue around his hard cock, lathering it with saliva, then straddled him and slid down onto his large dick. I moaned as he entered me then bounced up and down a few times before he flipped me over and fucked me hard.

"Fuck, you're so tight," he growled into my ear, and I almost came right then.

I loved this other side of Emmett, the side I saw so many months ago. It hadn't come out often because he was such a gentleman (which I loved, don't get me wrong), but I knew it would make more appearances now that we were having sex. And oh, how I _loved _a man in control. The sound of skin slapping skin echoed throughout Emmett's room as he held down my hands about my head and fucked me into oblivion.

Hours later, after having sex not once but twice more, we showered together, and I left. I told him I had some stuff that needed to get done around the house and headed home. Mostly, I needed some time and space to figure out what I was going to do with the information I'd gotten last night.

* * *

A couple of days later, after building up the courage I needed to go see Rosalie, I did. When I got to her house, I saw her car sitting outside and exhaled a long breath I didn't know I was holding in. I walked up to the front door nervously and knocked. Rose opened it not long after.

"Oh, what do _you_ want?" She looked annoyed that I was there, and I'm sure she was.

"I gotta talk to you about something important," I told her, and she let me in, seeing the urgency on my face.

I followed her into her big house (although not as big as the McCarty's, or Cullen's, or even mine) and sat down on the Hale's cream, leather sofa.

"So what's this about? Emmett?"

I shook my head. "The other brother. Landon."

She took a deep breath. "What about him?"

"I know what happened between you two that night."

"That he basically raped me? What an asshole, right?" She sipped her coffee. What a good actress.

"No. What really happened." Her eyes narrowed. "Why would you lie, Rose?"

"I didn't lie. He did take advantage of the situation."

"You waited for him in his room, and he was beyond drunk when he got there, but you knew he was, didn't you?" I felt like a real detective interrogating her and wondered what it'd be like to actually be one.

"Yeah. Okay. So I went up to his room. So what?"

"Why did you lie about it? That's all I want to know."

Anger flashed across her face. "You think just because you know what really happened that Emmett's going to believe _you_? Seriously, you are so naïve. It happened to _me_. He's gonna believe _me_. Yeah, I went up to Landon's room that night because I'd been dying to fuck him, and I said what I had to to save my relationship with Emmett when he saw us. Yeah, we broke up after, but only because he was wanting to talk about it all the time. Everything was fine when he realized I was, too. The whole thing's in the past anyway. So drop it, Swan. You can't pretend to be your daddy anymore because no one cares what you say."

I was pissed. So many thoughts were running through my head that I could barely form a competent sentence, but finally I said, "You ruined Emmett's relationship with his only brother."

"Like I said, I did what I had to do."

Then I slapped her hard across her cold-hearted, lying, manipulative face and left the house. I got in my car and sped home. Was this enough to convince Emmett that Rose lied…?

* * *

A few weeks passed by, and I did my best to keep up a happy appearance around Emmett and my friends. I mean, I was happy, but the whole thing was badgering me. I just didn't know how to tell him. I was scared and nervous, and I didn't want him to hate me for getting involved. Then again, I knew the longer I waited, the worse it'd be. It wasn't smart to start off the year or the new level in our relationship by keeping secrets from Emmett, but I couldn't force myself to hurt him even more. After all, he was the one to say that the past was in the past. What he didn't know, though, was that it was very much the present.

At school, Rosalie would give me a sly smile when I saw her, thinking she'd won this battle with me, that she'd gotten her way, and it fueled my hatred towards her. One day, she pushed it a little too far.

"Hey, Swan," Rose muttered near me when I was at my locker. "I was thinking… When your mom left you, was it because you tried to shove your nose into your parents' marriage? Ya know, where it didn't belong?"

I slammed my locker door shut, but her smirk didn't waver. I moved my face to where it was mere inches from hers. "When I'm done with you, you will regret every little thing you've done to me, my friends, to anyone. I will ruin you."

"Oh, honey." She laughed darkly before a menacing expression replaced her smile. "I'd like to see you try."

Rosalie walked away before I said anything else, and I knew it was time to tell Emmett what I knew. I told him we needed to talk after school at his place, and the time passed by quickly and relentlessly.

I found myself sitting in Emmett's living room on the couch next to my sweet, loving boyfriend, not really knowing how I even got here, and I knew he could see the fear in my eyes, feel the nervous shaking as he held my hand.

"Bella?" I snapped into focus. "What's going on?"

I couldn't form words, or thoughts, or anything; sobs were threatening to take over my body. Sighing deeply, I placed my phone down on the coffee table and looked into his beautiful, blue eyes before pressing play.

**A/N: This is my longest, deepest chapter yet. Things are getting heated, in more ways than one, right? Let me know what you think by reviewing! They make me so happy! Thanks for reading!**


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